The New Recruit II: Waking Up
by Regal Panther
Summary: Togatta is back, but she's known as Acer now! What brought that on? And why is her old friend in her life once again? What's more, Xanxus has started to act less... angry. What now?  Rated M for swearing/suggested adult themes. Sequel to The New Recruit.
1. And Lo, it Begins Again!

FIRST CHAPTER OF THE NEW RECRUIT II! WOOOO!

It took me a loooong time to write it, but... I'm happy with it. Though, at one point one of my minor OCs gets a little wacko. Oh well...

Anyway, enjoy!

... One more thing. TNR started about a year and a half after the Ring Battles, and this one is starting about 5 or so months after TNR ended. If there's anything that's confusing you... Well, just ask. Otherwise I won't bother writing it down.

~Panther-chan

* * *

"Hey, Acer… C'mon. Get up, man. It's almost time for class. You're gonna be late."

"Five more minutes…"

"No. Dude, get the hell up. I swear, I'll dump cold water on you again. I will, man. Get up."

"Nuh hm…"

"That's it. That was your last warning, dude. I'm getting the water now."

That was my roommate. She's a bit emo, but not in a bad way. Her emotions ran pretty deep, the opposite of my own, and she liked black, which contrasted against my favorite color, orange. Still, we got along pretty well, as long as we didn't insult each other's lifestyle. Actually, we both liked a few of the same bands, and sometimes we'd just sit around in the dorm room and listen to music. That was our special bonding time, and the first time was when she was playing Avenged Sevenfold. She turned on her stereo, quietly, and just sat next to it. The tune sounded pretty cool so I asked her to turn it up a bit. Needless to say, she turned it up. A lot.

That was my first exposure to hard rock. She introduced me to Korn, Slipknot, Nightwish, and Disturbed… A lot of the music I listen to now was brought to me by her.

I think only a few people know her real name. Everyone who doesn't calls her Cloak, mainly because that's how she introduced herself.

Literally. "Call me anything but Cloak and you might find yourself dead."

That was even how I found her: on her bed, in the dorm room, reading some comic with her headphones on her head. She looked up, seemed to decide something about me, and put them on her bed, the music still playing.

And she called herself Cloak.

That was over two months ago, and since then we've grown closer. We're almost like sisters… albeit, sisters who barely know each other. Still, it's a good idea to make a friend instead of an enemy out of your roommate, and that's what I tried to do.

She was in her second year in Harvard, majoring in Physiology and Medicine. She says she wants to be a field medic, like in the army or something. She wouldn't say why, but she's a bit of a pacifist and doesn't like to fight so much as support those who do.

As for me, I chose Robotics and Psychology for my two majors. Why? Well, because they'd be useful for my Family.

That probably set you to wondering, right? About what kind of Family would be so important as to choose your lifestyle, simply to be helpful?

Alright. I'll give you some time to think about it.

…

…

Ready? Okay. I'll tell you.

MY Family is that important. MY Family is so important that I'd do anything, just to be helpful. You know why?

Because they're the only Family I've got. That's why.

* * *

"Hey. Acer. You up yet?"

"Mm hm."

"Good. Guess I can drink this, then."

I heard her gulp down the water in the glass, and I stood up, stumbling over to the dresser. I grabbed a dark red tee and a pair of jeans, slipped on my socks, put my hair in a ponytail, grabbed my lucky necklace, and shoved my feet into my sneakers.

"Alright. I'm ready."

"I can see that. Here. You got mail today."

"Awesome. Who's it from?"

"Uh… Your big brother again."

I sighed and took the proffered mail, opening the letter to see it was indeed from my "brother".

_Twerp!_

_You better be okay. We haven't heard from ya in a while, and the psycho's getting neurotic again, just like the brat. The big man's a bit morose, believe it or not. The fag misses ya and the creep too. You better fucking call soon or one of us'll get ripped apart._

_-Your fucking brother_

"Fucking shitty piece of monkey crap…" I huffed, throwing it over my shoulder onto my bed. "Moving on. What've you got first?"

"Math."

"Huh… Looks like I got that one, too. New fucking schedules, right in the middle of the fucking week… argh…"

"I thought you'd be used to it, coming from Italy. Didn't high schools change schedules a lot?"

"Nah. I got home schooled. My parents were a bit paranoid."

"Hm."

Her quiet voice faded to silence as she dug around in her pile, looking for her books. I did the same, coming up for air after a few moments with my Math books in tow. "I wonder when I'll see my brother. I'm supposed to call them, but I want to see them too."

"Must be nice, having a big family."

"Sometimes it's fucking annoying, but other times it's nice. It's like having a safety net to catch you if you fall."

"Huh…"

"You'd like them, probably. They're a cool group, unless they're arguing."

We both stood at the same time, her visible eye closing. The corners of her lips lifted in a soft smile, and she sighed wistfully.

"Must be nice…"

"C'mon, Punk-pants. Let's go to class."

"…Right."

When we got to class, there were only a few people there. The teacher wasn't even there yet.

"You got me up early again!" I complained loudly, making the few students surrounding us snicker quietly.

"So? You're always complaining about being late. Thought I'd help out a bit."

I heaved a sigh, letting my head fall back onto the headrest. I could hear the slight tones of apology in her voice again. Every time I did, I wondered what had happened to her to make her so…

Needy.

No, that's a bad word for it. Uh, helpless? No…

Ah. Miserable. Lonely? Yeah, that's a good one.

She was always alone when I saw her, everyone else acting as though she weren't even there. I had actually made it my personal mission to get her to open up more, and to seem more approachable. The dark clothes, make-up, and hair didn't help her image much. Her hair itself was a deterrent to the more cheerful people: it was dyed jet black and the bangs swept over her right eye, and those bangs were streaked with three slightly curved vertical red bars. It was almost like a pictorial Stop sign.

"Class! Quiet down. We have a new student, just transferred in from Oxford. This is Jacqueline. Please, try to be at least a bit normal. And don't freak her out!"

The Professor looked around hopefully, trying to spot an empty seat. His eyes came to rest on me, then shifted to Cloak and a depressed cloud seemed to radiate from him in waves. "Well… I suppose you can sit right over there for now. Go on."

"Yes, sir."

She came to our row, excusing herself a few times when her dark green skirt brushed against someone's papers. Her sweater was navy, and as she came closer, I realized how familiar she looked.

"Here… give this to her."

I handed a small note, torn out of my notebook, to Cloak, and gestured towards the new girl. She nodded and handed it over.

_Hey, I'm Acer. That's Cloak._

There was an arrow pointing to the dark girl between us. The blonde girl nodded and wrote, then handed it to Cloak again.

_Cool. I'm Jacqueline Maud. Nice to meet you?_

Maud? Jacki?

_Holyshitmotherfucker! Jacki? (I'm your friend. From Japan, remember? But I changed my name to Acer Superbi. Call me that, I'll explain later)_

When the note reached her, she looked over at me, eyes wide and twinkling. Then she gave me a brilliant smile, so radiant I think the people a few rows down looked up at her, confused. I nodded, and she stuffed the note in her pocket to hide it.

Damn, this class is too long.

* * *

"Ohmygod! It's really you!"

"Yeah! It's really me!"

"I never thought I'd see you again! Why'd you change your name?"

I sighed, knowing I'd have to get it over with sometimes. "Alright, alright. C'mon to the dorm. Cloak, do you mind if she comes?"

"No."

When we reached my dorm room, Cloak immediately sat down on her bed and grabbed her sketchpad to draw. I sat Jacki down on my bed, my back and ribs still aching from the hug she gave me earlier. She had gotten a lot stronger over the past year or so.

"I'm waiting."

"Uh, well… the thing is… I ran away from the Yoshime family, and now I'm a Superbi, from Italy. It was… just too much to handle, and… I didn't have any other options." I let my shoulders slump and tried to appear miserable. I could tell Cloak wasn't buying it because she gave me the evil eye, but I gave her a _look_ from the corner of my eye and she stayed quiet. For now.

"Oh… I'm sorry. I knew you were under pressure, but to run away…? Does your brother know, or…?"

"Huh?"

"Your younger brother. Ai." Cloak spoke up, knowing my… issues.

"Oh. Ai. No, no one at all knows."

_Shit. I'm forgetting again. Ummm… thanks, Cloak._

I gave her another look, a grateful one, and she winked. At least, I think she did.

"Are you happy?"

"Huh?"

I blinked, confused again. Why did it matter if I was happy?

"Are you happy? With your new life?"

Oh, you mean with the Varia? "Well, yeah."

"Good. That's all that matters. Actually, the last I heard about Yoshime Corporation, they were training him to be the next leader."

"Huh. That's good then. At least they're moving on."

"Yeah… But enough about that! Tell me about your new family. Superbi, you said…?"

"Yeah. My older brother is a little crazy sometimes, and he swears a lot. Actually, a few of them do. My little brother can be psychotic at times, but he's really smart. And the youngest one is only a baby, but he's a genius too…"

Let the reminiscing begin.

* * *

Lunch was normal fare: I grabbed spaghetti, Cloak chose her customary chicken Caesar, and Jacki surprised me by ordering a Sloppy Joe. All my memories of her diet included her eating gourmet foods and being very neat. She enjoyed her meal very much, though, so I couldn't really say anything.

After explaining in more depth why I did what I did, she simply smiled and made sure I was truly happy with my new Family, then left it at that. Cloak seemed to be accepting her presence, but I think she was becoming more insecure.

"Hey, Jacki. You busy tonight?"

"Yeah. My roomie Audrey volunteered to show me around."

"Good. Me and Cloak already had something scheduled, and I didn't wanna leave you hanging, but…"

"That's fine. If you're busy, you're busy."

"You never change, eh?"

"Hm."

She smiled lightly and kept eating, wiping her face every now and then to get rid of the meat sauce from the Sloppy Joe. My roommate sent me a grateful smile, lasting only a short second, and I returned it with a quirky grin. This girl had a lot of insecurities, always fearing being replaced and left in the dark. I don't know for sure, but I think she depended on me more than she let on not to be left alone again.

When we were finished lunch we all headed out front to people watch. It was one of my favorite pass-times, and it had worn off me onto Cloak. Jacki joined us, but I really think she got bored after a while. I ended up lending her my iPod, and she took it gratefully.

The rest of Monday's classes went by pretty quickly. Nothing big happened, except we were assigned a new prompt in Creative Writing, but other than that nothing was new. Well, except for the fact that my childhood friend was here and knew who I was before I was practically kidnapped. She didn't know that part, though, and hopefully she never will.

I dialed the phone number I had memorized months ago and the loudest person on Earth answered.

"ABOUT FUCKING TIME SHITTY TWERP!"

"Squalo! Calm yourself!"

"Hrgh… Voi! What took ya so long?"

"My old friend just transferred here."

"Well, whatever. The psycho wants to fucking talk to you."

Nothing was heard from the other side for a short moment, then I heard my "little brother".

"Ushishishi… how is the Merchant today?"

"I'm fine, Prince. How's everyone on your end?"

"We are all fine! Well, the King seems sad, and Levi is desperate to help. Mammon is Mammon is greedy, and Lussuria is…"

"Special." I finished.

"Ushishishi…"

After Belphegor came Lussuria, who gushed over my description of what he called "a darling little girl in desperate need of an understanding friend". Mammon must've used illusion to steal the phone, and told me that I was paying for this call because it was long distance, then requested that I send him the bill for my tuition. He had agreed to pay for it as long as I paid him back every penny plus five percent interest as soon as I had the money. He almost added another five percent, but everyone else argued and it ended up being a dispute to end the poor base, which was flattened in less than two hours.

"Acer."

"Levi."

The Thunder-type and myself weren't on friendly terms. More like neutral. He knew the boss saw some kind of need to keep me in the Varia, and he acknowledged my usefulness, but that didn't mean he liked me. I think he might've been jealous in the trust Xanxus placed in me, but the one time he locked me in the cellar Xanxus went insane and blew everything up trying to find me because he couldn't understand a single word of what the Chinese representative of the Triads was saying. I was the only Varia member who knew that particular language and Xanxus got more than a bit irritated at me for "disappearing", and ended up throwing an empty scotch bottle at me. It hit my head and gave me a minor concussion, but Levi got shot a few times for "making me disappear", so it was fine.

That's how you measured how irritated he was with you. If the bottle was empty he was either a little irritated at you, or was just pissed off in general and needed to throw something. If the bottle was half-full you fucked up and he was angry. If it was full, he wanted to kill you. If you would survive depended on the type of scotch.

"Hey. Brat."

"Ah! Xanxus! How are you?"

"… Eh?"

"I asked how you're doing. Since, ya know, you're my Family? And my Boss?"

"Che. I'm fucking fine. It's your pathetic ass you should be concerned about."

Even if he'd never outright admit it, I knew he worried about me when I didn't call every week like I was supposed to. I rarely did, but that's because I was constantly on MSN and more often than not, Belphegor or Mammon was on. Technically, that meant I _was_ keeping in touch like I promised. They still wanted me to call, though, so I did.

"Well, I'm doing pretty good. New prompt in Writing, my roomie's cool, uh… my old friend Jacki just transferred here."

"Is it a problem?"

He sounded oddly eager. I guess he hasn't gotten many assignments lately.

"No. She's cool with it all. I think she barely recognizes me anyway."

"Che."

The conversation ended when Squalo shouted at Belphegor for doing something stupid and the line cut off. My theory is that they're all bored out of their skulls and wanted to do something to pass the time.

"That was your family?" Cloak inquired curiously.

"Yep. They're a little crazy, and Belphegor is clinically insane. But they're my Family, ya know?" I shrugged, smiling widely. My day had just been made.

Cloak just sighed and went back to her drawing, turning her iPod back on. I ignored her in favor of my prompt for Writing, and deciding what to write, I set to it, the keys on my laptop clicking away as I wrote down everything currently on the front of my mind, experience lending me the speed necessary to type the words before I forgot them.

SKYVOV _"Bratty Scum"_

TIGERSTRIPES50 _"Hey! What's up?"_

SKYVOV _"Need you to translate a document."_

TIGERSTRIPES50 _"Send it over, then."_

SKYVOV _"Hm."_

_You have received a new e-mail from SKYVOV._

I clicked the little pop-up and it opened up a document written in Mandarin. I sighed heavily. "Man… these guys are fucking stupid sometimes…"

"What is it?" Cloak looked up to glance at me, interested.

"Oh… My boss needs me to translate a document into Italian for him."

"From what language?"

"Mandarin. I find myself wondering why he doesn't just order one of his men to learn it… I know Levi would do it if he asked."

"Levi?"

"My cousin. He's living with my brothers right now in Italy, and he needed a job so I got my boss to hire him for a while. He comes in handy."

"What's his job?"

"He's the bossman's main bodyguard. He's extremely loyal and can get pretty fucking vicious."

"Sounds interesting."

"It is… unless he hears you insult the boss. Then he gets mad."

"Hm."

Sensing that she didn't want to talk anymore, I looked back down at the screen and got to work on turning the Mandarin into Italian.

* * *

There we go! The first chapter of The New Recruit II: Waking Up. I was going to make this the "first", and The New Recruit a kind of prequel, but then I decided, "Screw that, I wanna make this a sequel!"

And so I did. Hope all you New Recruit fans enjoyed the first chapter of the second part of what will soon be a trilogy! The third part is already in the making, so if there's anything you need clarified, tell me now! I don't like to change what I've already written and re-written.

~Panther-chan.

P.S: I'm going to the Montreal Otakuthon as Panther-chan! So much awesomeness... Especially since the Panther is my Inner Author. Woot!


	2. Just Another Face in the Crowd

Chapter 2! Woo!

Again... if there's anything that's confusing you, PM me! I only check the Reviews every now and again, so if you want the response to be prompt, you gotta send me a Private Message!

If this ever happens to you at a Subway, something is seriously wrong with the world. But, hey, I gotta put in some form of insanity, right? Might as well make it a fast-food worker. They're always a little... off. I mean, who is _actually _that polite? _WHO THE HELL SMILES THAT MUCH_? GAH! JUST READ THE DAMN CHAPTER!

~Panther-chan

* * *

When I finally completed translating the documents and sent them back to Xanxus, I gazed at the bottom of my screen to see that it was almost five o'clock.

"Shit! Almost time to eat dinner, eh? Cloak, you hungry?"

"…A little, yeah."

"Alright. What do ya feel like eating? Tonight's your night to pick."

"Uh… sushi."

"Awesome! I haven't had sushi in a while!"

An odd look flitted across her face for a short moment before her features settled into their poker face.

"You can pick something else you know. We can have sushi tomorrow night, anyway. My night to pick, remember?"

"Yeah. Sushi."

I bit my lip as she followed me out the door, slipping into the sweater. There was an edge to her voice I didn't like, but she had already confirmed her choice. If I pursued the matter she might become uncomfortable, and go back to the room to go to bed instead of eating. God knows she already skips enough meals with the excuse of not being hungry. Half the time she did eat it was because I forced her.

Still… that tone was close to anxiety. If she was nervous about sometime I'd like to know. I might even be able to help.

"Hey, Cloak. You got a big project you're working on?"

"No… why?"

"No reason. You just seem a bit nervous. Oral, maybe?"

"No."

Shit. Now she's cautious. Distraction, please?

"The guys at home are pretty fucking stupid sometimes, ya know? I mean, I know for a fact that at least one of them knows Mandarin, but the boss just _had _to send _me _the fucking documents _right _when I got a shitty prompt due the next day. I'll probably be up all fucking night now."

"Heh. You sound angry."

"Psh, please. Me, angry? Seriously?"

I gave her a bored look with a raised eyebrow. She chuckled quietly. "Yeah. Good point. But even you can be irritated. Remember Cecile?"

"Huh. Point taken."

"Point approved."

"Exclamation point!" I shouted at the top of my lungs and pumping my fist in the air, earning us more than a few strange and wondering glares. "Heh. You people suck! You need to liven up a bit before the Bogeyman gets you!"

Cloak laughed out loud when she saw the other students stare at us at the word Bogeyman, and I joined her. We ended up leaning against each other as we walked off campus and into the town surrounding it. "Man, we're crazy, aren't we?"

"Yeah… Uh… Acer…"

I didn't like the tone that she had now. It was like she was waiting for something bad to happen. It crossed my mind that she might be leading me into a trap prepared by enemy Mafia, but is shrugged it off almost immediately. I would've noticed something going on by now. "Yeah, Cloak?"

"Can… can we go… to Subway's instead? I feel like… sandwiches."

"Sure. There's one down… uh… that street."

"Park Avenue?"

"Yeah! What you said!"

We kept coming up with jokes as we walked down the streets, eventually coming to stop at the Subway's. We opened the door to find everything normal, and a special for two foot-longs for the price of one and a half. "Yo. We're gonna take you up on that special, 'kay?"

"Yes, ma'am. What would you like?"

"I want… an Italian BMT. Totally! And, toasted please."

"Coming right up." The guy behind the counter smiled pleasantly, and took out the bread selections.

"Italian, please."

"Sure."

I heard Cloak speak quietly with the other guy behind the counter. Mine was a bit pimply, but seemed like a nice guy. The other one struck me as egotistical, mainly because of the way he seemed to look down on my roommate.

"Yo, Cloak. You know what you want yet?"

"Um… Yeah."

She ordered her own and the guy didn't even ask if she wanted it toasted. He just started to put stuff on it. I took a step to the side and whisper in her ear. "Tell him you wanted it toasted if you want it toasted."

"But…" she muttered, trying to reason me out of it.

"Just do it."

I returned to my previous place just as my server took the bread out of the oven. I ordered everything heaped on and he cheerfully followed the order, piling it all up and covering it with mayo.

"Hey! You didn't tell me you wanted it toasted so I didn't toast it! Now tell me what you want on it!"

"Chill, man." My server called out. "If she wanted it toasted, just-"

"You stay out of this!"

I could feel a growl building in my throat as Cloak's guy pointed a knife at his co-worker.

"Put that down before someone gets hurt, eh?" I joked, putting my hands up near my face as the knife swung to point at me. The other patrons were muttering and one stood up. She shouted over the hubbub.

"If this is how you treat your customers it'd better stop before we leave!"

A few others followed her example, but sat down when a gun was waved in place of the knife.

"I'm the fucking boss here, you got that?"

"I'm sorry, don't you have a manager or something?" I intoned, an innocent expression on my face. He snarled and shot the ceiling.

"Are you off your meds?"

_Where the hell did that gun come from? But... I need to get him to fire a lot of warning shots. If I remember correctly that model holds 8 rounds. I put my hand in my pocket and… voila._

The phone in my pocket beeped once and the guy growled at me. "What the fuck're you doing, bitch? Huh?"

He came around the counter and grabbed my arm, yanking it out of my pocket with my cell phone in it. It went flying towards the other people. _Good thing I already pressed the Call button._

"Relax, would ya? It vibrated, so I thought I had a text. Then it beeped, and I _knew_ I had a text. Okay?"

"Shut it!"

He used the butt of the pistol to hit my skull, making it reverberate with pain.

"Oi, oi! What's with this mess?"

I turned to the doorway to see one of Levi's underlings. The three assigned to the area to protect me were thouroughly versed and knew what to do. Right now this one blended in perfectly: weapons were hidden and the civilian clothing looked natural. "I came for a sandwich and you're waving that thing around, bro?"

I sent the other people a look and nodded towards the door. Only one person got the message but ran out as fast as he could, and soon the place was empty except for me, Cloak, the Varia member, and the two Subway workers.

"I'm sorry, I don't quite know what's gotten into-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

A shot rang out and what was my server a moment ago dropped to the floor, blood spraying over the counter and walls and more and more rounds were unloaded, the entire clip emptied into the corpse.

"Now look what ya did. You went and wasted all your ammo!" I giggled a bit, and Cloak looked down, horrified. "Cloak, c'mere." I commanded gently, pulling her into a hug and hiding her face in the shoulder of my sweater as one final shot echoed, dropping the criminal in one moment. I looked up at the guy and he gave me a salute.

"Thank you." I said, acting the part of a "fellow" civilian.

"Yeah, no prob. You girls alright? I should probably call the cops, but… Man, I don't want a court case."

"You run, then. We'll stay and explain what happened. Put your hood up. We'll act like it was a hit and run or something."

"You got it."

He jogged out the door and down the street, stopping and giving me a final bow through the glass walls. I smirked, then turned to the shivering Cloak as I let her weight sink me to the floor. I sat cross-legged as she started to bawl into my shoulder, soaking my sweater. I didn't really care about the tears. After all, this must've been her first time seeing a murder, or death of any kind.

After four or five minutes, I spoke. "Cloak, we gotta get outta here now. The cops might be on the way and it'll look really suspicious if we're here and no one else is. C'mon. You can cry in the dorm."

"B… but…" Sobs wracked her body between words, and tears streamed down.

"Leave it be. Let's just go, okay?" I told her mildly, a calm smile gracing my features as I stood and pulled her up by the forearm. "Remember this: you're crying because your grandmother died earlier today. We were out to get some comfort food, but you broke down and we left to head back to campus. Alright?"

She sobbed, her shoulders shaking in silent sorrow as she stifled her cries in my shoulder, not letting go. I felt her nod, though, and gently wrapped my arm around her shoulder to guide her, the other grabbing my dropped cell phone and opening the door and gently pushing other people away as we headed back the way we came.

* * *

As soon as we re-entered the room and I guided her to her bed, I knew she was exhausted both physically and emotionally. Right now, to help her, I had to be calm and collected, and it wasn't an effort. This wasn't my first murder, but I wasn't exactly used to it either.

I had only seen a few, the first when I had met Xanxus, Mammon, and Squalo for the first time back in Japan and the next in my house, right after the same people had sent a hitman at my request to kill a perverted old man. The other two I had witnessed their actual deaths: when the Varia Officers fought each other and destroyed their base, they were seriously trying to kill each other. The cadavers had been the result of that particular quarrel.

"Acer…?"

Cloak's tear-soaked face and sleeves brought me back down to Earth and I glanced over at her. "Yeah?"

"Why… are you so… calm? And why did… that other guy… bow to you?"

"You saw?" I raised my eyebrows, surprised. My calmness was weird, sure, but she was at the wrong angle to see the guy salute me!

"Yeah."

"Well… I'm calm for two, no, three reasons. One, I'm me. I'm specially calm. Two, you are hysterical, so to keep us focused I gotta be the opposite. And three, that wasn't the first time seeing a corpse. Or a murder."

"When… did you see it before?"

"With my Family."

"I think… I think our definitions of family… are different."

"They might be." I shrugged, letting her read it how she wanted.

"I mean family, like blood relatives. When you say family, do you mean… like… a Mafia Family or something?"

I blinked, caught slightly off guard. "What makes you think I'm in the Mafia?"

"Well… you're pretty loaded. I can tell because every time you need something it's in the mail the next day. And, every time you say Family you're talking about brothers, cousins, and people who obviously aren't related to you by blood. Please, tell me the truth. Are you in the Mafia?"

I looked at her anxious, tear-ridden face, and tried to summon the willpower necessary to lie a little longer. I opened my mouth, and shut it again after realizing it wouldn't work properly.

"I'm in a very awkward position here, Cloak."

"I just want the truth."

"The whole truth?"

"Yeah." She nodded, determination replacing some of the anxiety in her expression.

"Alright… yes. I'm in the Mafia. Happy?"

"Not really…"

Her voice was quiet. Just a bit too quiet, actually. I looked at her again only to see her eyes trying to hide horror, fear… and wonder.

"What are you giving me that look for?" I demanded, looking away and pretending to be hurt.

"Oh… well… Don't Mafia people kill…?"

"Not all of us. Only the combatants. I've never even held a gun, actually. Well, not a loaded one. I'm only a strategist."

"Oh. What about non-combatants?"

"Either they're under protection and unaware, or they know but they're not fighters, or members of the Family that weren't trained to fight, instead finding another purpose. Like, record-keeping or press or something."

"Were you really born in Italy?"

"Nope. Japan. I moved because of necessity and changed my name."

"Oh. So, Aisoku was your little brother… by blood?"

"Aisoku…"

"Yeah. Ai. You were really protective of him, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Aisoku! Yeah, he's my bro by blood. Squalo is my brother because we're in the same Family, and he looks more like me than the others so I borrowed his last name and came here to get a normal education."

There was a somewhat awkward silence between us, and suddenly she gasped and scooted way from me. It startled me enough to jump up and she cried out, almost a scream.

"Whoa! What is it? You see a fucking ghost or some crazy shit?"

"No! Why are you telling me this?" she screeched, grabbing her pillow.

"Cause you asked!" I shouted back.

"So? You shouldn't have!"

"Why are you screaming?"

"Cause now I know and you gotta kill me!"

"What the fuck are you talking about you crazy moron!"

"You're Mafia!"

"SO? STOP YELLING!"

"Okay…"

The sudden quiet was just too strange and I laughed, falling onto my own bed this time. "Jesus Christ! I thought I was gonna have a fucking heart attack and die young from that scream! And what the hell are you talking about, I gotta kill you? There is no such rule, and I'll have you know there is no Omerta right now keeping me from telling you this!"

She blinked owlishly, looking quite surprised. "Huh?"

"Shit, man. Just cause I'm in a Family doesn't mean I'm a killer. I leave that to my brothers."

"So…" Her voice quavered and she shivered a bit. "So, you don't have to…?"

"Nope. Not gonna."

_Beep._

"Ah! That's my cell!"

I took it out of my sweater pocket and flipped it open to see a new message from SKYVOV, aka Xanxus. "It's from the boss."

"Your boss?"

"Yep."

"Of your Family?"

"Well, not the entire Family. Just our little part."

_Oi. You planning on bringing her in or some shit? You just fucking spilled everything, Bratty Scum. You fucking stupid? We might have to kill her now._

I felt my eye twitch. "I'll be right back, okay? The fucking idiot wants me to work all fucking night."

"He's not gonna… call a hit… or something on me?"

"God, no!"

I exited the room and jogged down the hallway to the door that leads outside, the garden empty. I dialed the correct number and waited two tones before he picked up.

"You hurt her and I will get revenge, alright? You don't touch her."

"I got that, Twerp. Why, though?"

"Because. By being her friend I've placed her in danger, and she deserves to know why!"

"Che. The Omerta, remember?"

"I memorize that shit a week after I was officially an Officer, remember?" I mocked his tone at the last word, and continued, plowing through his retort. "Listen. She's got potential as a doctor. When she's treating someone she's calm, collected, and could probably drop people dead if she felt like it. Plus, she's my friend. You mess with her and you're messing with me. And you don't wanna mess with me. _Remember_?"

"Shut the fuck up. You don't give me orders, trash. I'm the fucking boss here."

I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose, walking. "I know. I know, Xanxus. Look, let's just both calm down and think. Okay?"

"Che. Whatever."

I took a few deep breaths and tried to restart. "I didn't break the Omerta. I know it. So, there's no reason to hurt her other than the fact that she knows I'm Mafia. But, she's doesn't know anything else except for the fact that I borrowed the name Superbi and I'm really from Japan. How can that hurt us?"

Xanxus was silent for a moment. I could've sworn I heard him sigh, but then again, it might've been my over-active imagination. "If you can keep her quiet and if you could somehow keep the secret and not tell _anyone else_, then you'd be right. But, I know this type. She'll panic and see hidden meanings where there are none, and under the pressure of her own mind she'll break down and tell anyone that might be near just to make it stop."

"You're underestimating my friend, Xanxus," I growled, my tone getting more and more dangerous. His followed suit, but I cleared my throat and tried to clear the building irritation. "Okay, calm. We need to be calm."

"Don't tell me what I fucking need, Brat."

"Okay. _I_ need to be calm. It is _suggested_ that you remain calm."

"Whatever. When's your next vacation?"

It was so tempting to giggle and say _Aw, does Xanxan miss me?_ But I knew it would practically sign my death warrant so I resisted and replaced the words with something different. "I'm pretty sure it's a full week in two months. A spring break. I'll have to check to be sure, though."

"Do it. You're coming home the next chance you get. And bring the girl."

"Cloak, you mean?"

'Get her real name. None of this "Cloak" shit."

"If she wants to be called-"

"I. Don't. Care. If she's in my base, she's gonna give her real name. And she _will_ be coming to my base. Got it?"

I sighed. He was in Boss Mode again. "Yes, sir. I'll get her real name and send you the schedule for the next few months. Is there anything else, sir?"

"Yeah."

"What is it?"

"…"

I waited for about three full minutes, wasting time as I waited for him to speak.

"Nothing. Now go."

"Yessir."

I snapped it shut, knowing that Cloak probably shit herself waiting for her demise, and sprinted as fast as I could back to the dorm room.

I knocked then entered without waiting for a reply and quickly snapped my customary calm smile into place.

"Heya Cloak."

"That was a long phone call."

"Meh. The Boss is the Boss. Actually, he wants you to come with me to the base next vacation. He also wants your real name."

Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. I laughed and patted her on the shoulder, feeling her freeze up.

"No worries. He's got no reason to hurt you, as long as you don't go spreading it around that I'm in the Mafia. He wants your real name 'cause he doesn't feel like saying Cloak!"

"Oh. Um, well… I won't tell anyone and… my real name?"

"Yepo."

"…dra … mers."

"Sorry, didn't catch that. What?"

"CASSANDRA SUMMERS!"

"Youch." I stuck my little finger in my ear and turned it, copying cartoons. "No need to shout."

"Sorry. I just… don't like my name."

"I noticed. Where are ya from, anyways?"

"…Australia. My sister sent me here for school."

"Cool. Well, I'm pretty tired after tonight so… I'm hitting the sack. You?"

"I think I'll stay up a while."

"Kay. Don't be afraid to wake me, alright?"

"Yeah."

I was soon fast asleep, and Cloak didn't wake me at all until the morning, to get to class once more.

* * *

Voila! Chapter 2 is up. And my brother was and is being a tad childish... First, he declares in a "pompous and arrogant way" that I am WRONG. then, he repeats that I am WRONG and he is RIGHT. Yes, he spoke in capital letters. (How the hell does a person speak in all caps?) Now, he insists that since he has already apologized, and I "didn't accept it", that he is longer sorry. What actually happened was that I went to my room, sat against the door, he insisted he wanted to enter my room, and I said I didn't want anyone in it. So, he said through the door that he was sorry he was a tool (at the time). Even with twenty other people, I can't count on all twenty-one pairs of hands (mine included) how many times he's apologized for being a jerk/tool/bastard etc. So, I said, "Either way, you're a tool". I shouldn't have, but I was crying, I was upset, I was remembering my shitty childhood in my personal Hell, and he was annoying me. He was also insisting on speaking to me when I quite clearly DID NOT WANT TO. So, now he's angry at me, my mom is almost angry at me, I'm in my room, and I don't want to apologize because I don't feel like I should have to. What the hell? HE STARTED THE WHOLE DAMN THING!

But that's just my opinion.

~Panther-chan

{Edit~!} Hey, in case you didn't quite notice:

Cloak was really nervous, right? Well, later on it's explained that she was in a nameless gang because she had nowhere else to go, and that she left suddenly. Well, that scene where she asks for sushi then changes her mind? That's her, deciding not to lure Acer into a trap meant to capture her and hold her ransom. Since the gang didn't really find out until a few days later, it gave Dino and his Family (Chiavarone) time to act and keep them seperted. Cloak never did find that out...

Lol. There are a lot of little things like that going on that it takes REALLY DEEP THINKING to figure out. Look for the others and tell me about them!


	3. From America, With Love

Yosh! Okay, here's the third chappie! Woo!

Anything you want to question, then review or PM me! I'll answer within a couple of days. Less if I'm bored.

And... lol. Acer gets to scare the shit outta the Prince. Seriously, though, she scares him in this chapter because she's subconciously increasing her Flame. Wee, cold!

~Panther-chan

* * *

That day she was oddly silent, giving me furtive glances every little while. I shouldn't have told her I was in the Mafia, and I thanked God he stopped me before I said anything about my position in the Varia. Now the only thing I could do was convince her that no one was gonna pop out of the shrubbery and kill her.

"Hey! Cloak!"

I ran to catch up with her in the hallways after staying to speak with the teacher and grabbed her shoulder gently, feeling her flinch. "What're you worried about, Cloak?"

"Um… well… you said…"

"Look. Just pretend last night was a dream, okay? Nothing's changed. I'm here because I want a normal college life before some kind of hellish training starts. So, just act as if I'm 100% normal."

"Don't you mean as normal as _you_ can get?"

"Sure. Let's go with that."

We shared a short laugh and kept walking, separating at one point in the hallways to go to our respective classes.

* * *

That night, in the dorm room, Cloak seemed more at ease than ever before, even though nothing much had changed. Someone knocked at the door and I opened it to see Jacki holding two bulging plastic bags with a huge grin on her face.

"Girl's Movie Night!" she exclaimed, tossing the bags on my bed and throwing her arms around my neck and squealing. She did the same for Cloak, jumping on the dark-haired girl's bed and tackling her in a bear hug.

"Okay! I brought sushi, chips, candy, soda, and, of course… MOVIES!"

"Please tell me there's at least one horror movie in there. _Please_."

"Of course! _The Ring_ and _The Ring 2_. We can watch one or both. Do you guys have class tomorrow?"  
"Uh, duh."

"Oh. Well, you can skip one day, right?"

"Meh. I'm not doing anything big tomorrow."

"Same."

"Alright!" Jacki took out a DVD from the bag and pretty much shoved it into my player, and turned on the TV. "Wow. One of you is loaded, huh?"

"Uh, yeah. Something like that." I laughed nervously, and Cloak cleared her throat, covering a giggle.

"Well, that's good! If this breaks you can replace it."

"What, you're gonna TRY to break it?" I scoffed. "You're not nearly strong enough to do that!"

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Four-star wrestling!"

"Rawr!"

I jumped on her and we rolled around on the floor, making Cloak laugh and hold her sides at the ridiculous faces we were making at each other. I ended up hitting my head against the bed frame and Jacki suffered a punch for shoving me, but other than that the only injuries were blows to our dignity as adults.

"Okay… I think it's movie time. Cloak, toss me a soda?"

"Here."

She handed me a can and I held it to the back of my head, the coldness spreading and making the bruised area numb. I laughed as Jacki copied me, except she held it to her shoulder where I had ground my knuckles in after she made me hit my head.

"Which is this?"

"Uh… P.S. I love you."

"… Jacki, I will hurt you. YOU KNOW I DON'T LIKE CHICK FLICKS!"

"It's about a woman whose husband dies after an argument then she receives letters that are supposedly from him and it drives her partially insane and-"

I slapped my hand over her mouth, but took it back real quick when she licked it. "Aw, gross man! Anyway, you had me at "partially insane". Seriously."

* * *

The night passed in a flurry of popcorn, chips, soda, and Nerds flying through the air. We ended up laughing and screaming so much the neighboring students came to see if we were murdering someone. We didn't pay attention to the time either, and Jacki ended up sleeping in my bed without a blanket or a pillow. I had taken them to sleep on the carpeted floor, and with the window open I sighed, wishing I could stay like this forever.

I knew that one day, I'd have to return to the Varia and give all this up. A normal life would be impossible after the hellish training apparently being designed to prepare me for the assassination attempts, the murders, the interrogations, and at one point it would be so extreme I'd need lessons to act… Well, normal.

But for now, this is fine. If my Family needs this to be my life for a little while, then this'll be my life. The Ninth tried to pull me into the Mafia, and Xanxus offered me a way out. To repay him, if this is what he needs then I'll do it. Because my Family is more important than anything else.

* * *

When I woke up the next morning it was still dark outside the revealed window. I reached up and felt around on my desk for my alarm clock. My hand connected and I pulled it down, wary of the cord, and saw it was only 5 in the morning.

"What the hell woke me up, then?" I muttered grumpily to myself, standing carefully so as not to wake one of the others.

_Bzzzzt. Bzt… Bzzzzt. Bzt…_

"Eh?"

I shuffled silently towards the other side of the room, towards the TV. I took my vibrating cell phone and opened it to see a new text.

_Brat. Look outside._

I went to my window, but didn't open it. That would be like saying, Hey look at me! I'm a target! Throw something at me!

"Ushishishi… Merchant. Down here."

I looked downwards to see the bright smile and blond hair of the Varia's prince, Belphegor. I opened the window, glancing around to make sure no one was watching me, and spoke.

"Hey Prince. What's up?"

"The girl in your room is a target."

I paled. "Which…" I swallowed. "Which one?"

"The blonde!"

I blinked. "Natural blonde?"

"Yes! Please draw her out! Ushishishi… the Merchant will help the Prince, yes?"

I took a deep, deep breath, and let it out in a gasp, starting to shiver as I glanced over my shoulder at the sleeping girl.

"Merchant…?" Belphegor called out warningly.

"Yeah… Yeah. Hold on." I replied, looking back out the window, my voice and knees shaking. My friend Jacki was a target. My Family needed her dead. My childhood friend, or my Family? Which was more important?

I stood stock-still, gazing blankly out the window. My Family wanted my friend dead.

My Family needed me to help kill my precious friend.

* * *

I went over to her and shook her shoulder. "Hey, Jacki. There's something outside. Looks weird. C'mon, we gotta go check it out."

"Huh? Out?" she mumbled, pointing at the window.

"Yeah. Outside. C'mon, get up."

"Uh… sure."

She seemed disoriented. I hoped she wouldn't scream, or worse, look at me when she died.

"So… what was out here?"

"Oh… well, there was some weird floaty thing out here. Maybe if we look around we can find it."

"Jesus… I know you like weird things, but the sun hasn't even come up yet. Can't this wait?"

"If we wait, it might leave or something. It might be too late."

"Oh."

We kept walking around, and I gave furtive glances to pretty much every single shadow that seemed to move. When we got to the place where Belphegor had been a moment ago, I heard his signature laugh. It was almost silent, and it freaked the shit out of Jacki.

"Uh, Acer?" she demanded, grabbing onto my arm. "What the hell was that?"

"I dunno…" I lied, trying to mimic her state of panic. I felt two arms grab me around the waist and Belphegor dragged me into the bush.

"Scream." he whispered.

"Augh! Jacki, help!" I shrieked immediately, letting him bring me into the bushes. I saw his wide smile and shiny tiara and he put a finger to his lips, signaling silence. I nodded, and he leaned over me slightly to whisper in my ear.

"Watch carefully, Merchant."

I nodded again, feeling myself go completely numb. I watched him as he crawled inside the bush, seeing the sharp glint of a knife. I watched as he took aim with three more, right at my friend. And I watched as he drew back to throw them.

I couldn't watch as he let them fly right into her.

"Ah! What the hell was that?" I heard Jacki scream. "Acer? Acer! Where are you? Hey! Answer me! Please!"

I heard tears in her voice, and not hearing the sick squelch of a knife piercing through flesh I glanced through a gap in the leaves, seeing her unharmed. I looked straight at Belphegor, who was grinning at me. He shrugged.

"Prince, isn't she your target?"

"Not really. It was a test."

"A… test?" I questioned, eyebrow raised quizzically.

"Yes. King wanted to test to see if the Merchant was truly loyal to the Varia, loyal enough to help kill her closest friend. So he sent me to test you."

Footsteps signaled Jacki running away, and I heard her calling out for help. I stood and marched towards the blond, angry as Hell.

"You made me wake my best friend up early, made me think I was helping you kill her, and made me think I was gonna watch her die?" I growled, grabbing his collar and pulling his towards me, ready to yell and scream and possibly bite him.

"Y-yes… The King ordered it! It was to make sure you wouldn't betray us! You passed, except you didn't watch me throw the knives! It was the test that the King-"

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE FUCKING KING." I snarled, shifting my grip so my hand was around his throat. I felt his Adam's apple bob up as he swallowed nervously, gazing into my eyes.

"M-merchant? I'm sorry… I'm sorry! I didn't want to!" he cried out, putting one hand on the wrist that held him and the other over his heart. "I swear, I didn't want to! The King said that if the Prince didn't do it he'd kill the Merchant!"

I felt my anger ebb completely at his tone, and the expression of panic and worry on his face. I sighed and released him, letting him stagger back. "It's Xanxus I should be hurting, then, eh?"

"Y…yes?" he seemed to ask, rubbing his throat. "The Merchant got quite angry, eh?"

"Yeah. I did. Xanxus threatened to kill me, huh? I'll have to have a little chit chat with him, then."

"No! Merchant, please listen."

This was the only time I had ever seen a member of the Varia panic, so I turned to look right at him, arms crossed.

"The upper echelon of the Vongola Family said that if we didn't test your loyalty in extreme situations they'd consider you a spy or a threat and have the King kill you! He didn't want you dead at all so he told the Prince to test you!"

"Why do you know this?"

"The Prince eavesdropped, of course. Royalty is allowed to know everything." He grinned, his usual personality of superiority reemerging. I sighed again, my shoulders slumping.

"Alright, alright. I won't act."

"Oh! And the Merchant was supposed to watch the whole thing. The Prince will lie, though. I am the only Varia here right now, anyway."

"Huh, thanks. Let me guess, I owe you one now?"

"The Prince will expect a good match as payment, I suppose."

"In chess?" I demanded, confused.

"Of course! It's the game of kings!"

"Don't we play that all the time? Couldn't you ask for something bigger for practically saving my life?"

"The Prince has decided the reward! If you refuse, then off with your head! Alas, the Prince cannot kill the sister…"

"Sister?"

"You are Family, of course!"

"I see." I didn't see. "Well, what do we do now? Jacki's probably flipping out and calling the police or something."

"She has been taken care of."

"What?" I asked darkly, glaring.

"A drug has been administered to put her to sleep for a few hours, then she'll wake up and think it a dream!" he corrected, waving his hands wildly.

"Better. So, I'm going back to bed now. And if Cloak finds out about this "test" I will hurt someone. Badly. She's freaked out enough as it is."

"Who, the Dark Princess?"

"You call her the Dark Princess?" I asked him incredulously.

"Of course! Ushishishi… don't tell me the Merchant, brilliant as she is, cannot recognize royalty?"

"Cloak is royalty?"

"Of course. Descendant from the Australian monarchy, disbanded centuries ago!"

"Dude. You need a hobby. Besides killing peasants."

"Ushishishi… the Merchant will need to sleep now. Shall I escort you to your room again?"

"I don't know what you mean by again, and… I'm not sure I wanna know. But, sure. C'mon. I tired enough from those damn movies as it is. I got about an hour of sleep earlier."

"And, the three of you have been reported sick. Food poisoning. You will be dismissed from classes for up to a week!"

"Thanks, I guess."

"Of course!"

* * *

When I awoke next it was just past noon and Jacki was freaking out, as predicted, to a rather flustered Cloak, who had a bewildered look on her face and gave me a glance that called out for help when Jacki started to cry.

"Ugh, I sleep barely five hours and I wake up to THIS? Jacki, calm yourself."

"Ah! Acer! You're okay!"

"Uh, duh? Dude, what's up?"

"Oh my God! You got dragged into the bush and you screamed then nothing and I got so freaked out because knives hit the tree then-"

"Jacki! I've been here the whole damn day! And night! And there are _no bushes_ in this room!"

"Oh."

She kinda just sat there, staring at me. "Jacki."

"Yes?"

"No mores Nerds and soda before bed for you."

"Yes."

I grabbed my cell just as it vibrated, seeing a reminder about the "food poisoning" from Bel.

"And… it seems someone reported us sick with cases of food poisoning from bad sushi. Who was it? Come on, fess up."

"Not me."

"Uh, I think I was too freaked out to do something like that."

"Well, we've got about a week off thanks to whoever did it."

"Awesome! More movie nights!"

"Not after this one, we're not."

"Aw."

"I agree, actually. At least, for now." Cloak spoke up, raising her hand a bit.

"You guys suck! You're so boring! And mean! Nyah!" Jacki pulled on the skin under her eye a bit and stuck out her tongue like a little child.

I chuckled softly to myself, and thought, _Note to self: thank Bel. Profusely._

The week passed by almost too quickly and before I knew it, we were back in class, people asking what happened, where we got the sushi, etc. We had agreed beforehand thwe would say that we must've left it out of the fridge for too long before eating, and not place false blame on a restaurant or other establishment.

"Alright, class. Seems we've got a guest speaker on the schedule for this week! His name is Iemitsu Sawada. He's a business man, originating from Japan and moved to Italy for his business, leaving his wife and son behind for years at a time. He travels the globe and collects candidates for large companies, who hire him to find new blood to keep the markets flowing. He'll be here on Thursday, according to the memo."

"Three days?" I heard Jacki mutter to the person next to her, two columns to my right. two seats above me was Cloak, and she passed a note to me using the others students to get it to me.

_From Japan? Did he try to "collect" you at one point?_

My reply read:

_Nope. Never heard the name before in my life._

_Oh, okay._

That was the last note for the day from Cloak, and the other classes were spent in a daze, trying to figure out if he was an enemy, an ally, or a civilian. Hopefully, he was the last.

* * *

SKYVOV_ "You passed the test. Good job on keeping yourself alive, brat."_

TIGERSTRIPES50 _"Thanks OH SO MUCH for the vote of confidence, sir."_

SKYVOV _"Che, whatever. You've got more documents coming to translate. Do it fast. I'm getting impatient."_

TIGERSTRIPES50 _"Yes sir."_

SKYVOV _"And what's with this Sir shit? Cut that the fuck out. It's like…"_

TIGERSTRIPES50 _"Like what?"_

SKYVOV _"Like you're any other subordinate, and not an Officer. It's creepy. Stop it before I get pissed off and destroy something."_

TIGERSTRIPES50 _"Fine. Anything else, Boss?"_

SKYVOV _"Now you sound like Levi. That's even worse."_

TIGERSTRIPES50 _"Ouch. Comparing me to Levi? That hurts, Xanxus, that hurts."_

SKYVOV_ "Heh. You'll live. Hurry it up with those documents. I'm waiting."_

TIGERSTRIPES50 _"Yessir, right away"_

I did my work for the Family during class and almost got caught, but I managed to hide the laptop before the teacher reached me and said I was just reviewing some papers for the coming test. She replied that as long as I didn't fall behind it was fine, but I better not distract anyone else. I nodded and thanked her, wishing she would just _go away_. She didn't disappoint, but it was close.

When they were in Italian I sent them back over the encrypted email account Xanxus had had set up for me, and because no reply was forthcoming I assumed he didn't have any other work for me, and shut my laptop.

* * *

An hour my cell phone rang.

"Brat. Grab your essentials. There's someone after your hide and you're getting out of there."

"Alright, I'll go get it then. 1 sec, okay?"

I waved at my group of friends, who immediately closed ranks around Cloak and Jacki, and sprinted through the hallways after putting the Bluetooth in my right ear. It extended to form a mic at the corner of my lips and I spoke into it.

"Can you hear me?"

"Hurry up, brat. They're almost there."

"What's the plan?"

"Levi's waiting with the car. Mammon will cover you. Lussuria is standing by in case something happens."

"And why is everyone in America, anyway?"

"They were dispatched to cover your useless ass."

"Oh, shut up."

"What the fuck are you ordering me around for, trash?"

"Well, considering half the reason you keep me around is to banter, I'd say I'm ordering you around to distract you from the food you probably find disgusting and the server you're about ready to fucking kill."

"Che. I'm not eating right now, brat."

"Then I guess… I'm ordering you… you shut up because… you're distracting… me!"

I flung open my dorm room door, panting from the run, and grabbed my backpack, some underwear, a tooth brush and tooth paste and a comb from the bathroom, an extra shirt, and some shorts.

"What do I need?"

"Assuming you've got toiletries and clothes already, grab your phone, your laptop, and write a note saying your uncle had a stroke and you're on your way to Italy right now."

"Okay."

"Make that Venice." He amended his orders almost immediately, and I wrote what he commanded, taped it to the window, grabbed my cell and stuffed it in my sweater pocket, took my laptop with one arm, and flung my bag over my shoulder before slamming the door shut and sprinting back outside.

"Hurry!"

"I know!" I snapped, feeling the pressure. "Shit. That guy's following me."

"Lussuria will take care of him. Look for Mammon."

"Right."

I spotted the infant where he was floating and ran to him.

"Mu… you owe me for this."

"I'm sure… we'll figure… something… out." I gasped, panting as I looked around for Levi and his car.

"Levi is waiting there."

The illusionist pointed with one chibified hand to the black Mercedes that was waiting. The window rolled down and I saw Levi gesture.

"Thanks." I cried out to Mammon, who waved, and literally hopped into the open passenger door, pulling the door shut and hearing the locks click into place.

"Hold on." Levi commanded, stepping on the gas heavily. We jumped forward, earning honks and screams of protest from the people outside and the car's tires.

"Where are we going?"

"We're picking up Belphegor then to the Varia's base in this city."

"You guys are fucking everywhere, ya know that?"

"Yes. It comes in handy. Now please be quiet and let me concentrate."

"Of course." I borrowed the crazy Prince's line and held tight to my stuff, making sure the seatbelt was on properly and the airbags were on too.

The following ride was like a roller coaster: fast, dangerous, and it stopped my heart at least twice and made me ready to scream my lungs out. I also got motion sickness at one point and nearly vomited, but remembered that Belphegor was going to inhabit the same car, and I barely refrained from emptying the contents of my stomach all over the damn dashboard.

As soon as the prince was in the car, we were off again, swerving and taking detours like a madman. His insane laughter didn't stop once, and it gave me a headache. He made up for it, though: as soon as we were at our destination he pulled me out of the car with surprising gentleness and carried me to my room in the base, setting me on the bed and even closing the blinds. I was suspicious because of this good behaviour, so I asked him why he was being so kind at this moment. He then replied he wanted to play hide and seek with me, and wanted me to owe him so he could force me. The reply made me groan, and he laughed his crazy laugh before simply disappearing out the door.

And there I was, lying on the bed like a useless piece of shit, waiting for the vertigo to subside so I could call Cloak and make sure everything was fine on that end.

* * *

"Voi, brat. The Boss wants to see you."

"Ugh… not you too."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"You're all being too nice. This must be a trap from enemy Mafia or something."

"What, we're not allowed to be nice and quiet once in a while?"

"Not randomly, you're not. It freaks people out even more than Belphegor's laugh."

"Voi! Be more grateful, twerp."

"I would still like to know why you're all being so damn nice to me all of a sudden."

I sat up carefully, almost falling back. I moaned in pain, one hand clutching my head.

"I hate vertigo. Did you know that?"

"I guessed as much."

The white-haired man helped me sit up, sitting on the bed beside me. "Voi."

"What?"

"We're being so damn nice because… well, you're not like the people we're used to."

"Eh?"

"You're… well, compared to us, you're fucking breakable. Delicate. We're afraid we're gonna do something permanent without noticing it."

"Hey! I'm tougher than-"

"No. You're not. I'm not kidding around here, Acer. If a punch from Lussuria, meant for me, hit you instead, you'd be killed immediately. One scotch glass thrown too hard from Xanxus that hits your head and you're gone. Comatose at best."

I blinked. The influx of sudden news that said I was breakable was a shock. Was I really that useless?

"So… I'm useless."

"Voi! I didn't say that!" he snarled, looking like he wanted to hit me. "I said you were breakable compared to us, "us" meaning the other Officers of the Varia. We're bred for combat and toughened over years. You're still in college, and… well… you're fucking normal. I don't wanna offend you, but… if it weren't for Xanxus you'd have never met the Varia and you'd have been forced into working for the Ninth as a corporate lackey."

I was rendered speechless. What he had told me just now served to show me how lucky I was on one hand, and on the other, how utterly useless I was. I didn't do anything except fight with my Boss and translate documents from languages he could just order people to learn.

"Squalo. You can go now."

"Voi, brat. Xanxus-"

"I know he wants to see me. You can go now."

"You'll-"

"I won't get lost. Go."

I didn't look at him again, unable to face him as he stood up, swearing under his breath at me as he stomped out the door and let it slam shut behind him. Xanxus wanted to see me, but he'd have to wait a minute while I gathered my thoughts and found the best way out of this situation.

* * *

Wow, Squalo. Way to be tactful. But, seriously, Acer needed to hear something like this. She needs to get awesome!

Comments? Quotes? Questions? Message me!

And, and, and! Poll time! Why do _you _think Squalo said this?

~Panther-chan


	4. Home is Where the Heart is

ZOMG another chapter!

And, sorry if you find Xanxus a bit OOC in this. However, I believe that if he actually had someone he thought he could be gentle with, he would. He is human, and he DOES have a Sky Flame, even if he doesn't use it.

Enjoy!

~Panther-chan

* * *

I knocked on the door, reviewing my thoughts while I waited for the customary "enter".

"Enter."

I almost chuckled at the predictability, but refrained. Barely. I opened the heavy door and made sure it was shut behind me, walking forward a few steps while I watched for any signs of irritation from Xanxus, where he was sitting in his chair.

Where he was _supposed_ to be sitting in his chair.

I felt two arms wrap around my waist and a face was pressed into the crook of my neck, the breath tickling my skin. The body behind me was pressed tightly against my back, warmth radiating at an unnaturally high temperature.

I took a short moment to think, and guessed who it was. After all, who else could be in this room without dying?

"Xanxus?"

"Mm."

He hummed into my neck, tickling me even more.

"Did you miss me?" I made another guess.

"Mm."

He didn't reply any other way except to hum deep in his chest, so I squirmed a bit. "Let me turn around, please." I kept my voice calm, my heart speeding up slightly at the heat coming from the man.

His arms loosened just enough to let me turn on the spot and they tightened again, around my lower back. He didn't move other than that, so I wrapped one arm around him, the other on the back of his head, playing with the short black strands. He hummed again, contently, and I took the time to wonder what the hell happened to my boss.

I doubted that anyone managed to abduct or brainwash him, since he was so deadly and so very indestructible. I really didn't think he missed me enough to react this way, and he was acting like a kitten who liked to be petted a lot.

Long minutes passed by. I was almost sure it was a full hour, since my legs started to ache from standing still for so long. I sighed just a bit, and tightened my arm around his back.

"Xanxus, is something wrong?"

"No." he mumbled into my neck, nuzzling it slightly.

Hm. Okay.

"So… what's with the hug? We've been standing here for how long?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm and polite even though I had just asked a sarcastic question.

"… Mm?" he seemed to ask me to repeat what I had just said. I don't think he heard me.

"Can I sit down? I'm a bit tired."

"Yeah."

He took his arms back for a moment before he seemed to realize that he let me go, and then grabbed me around the waist again. Everything around me blurred together for a moment before I lurched to a stop on the chair I had thought he was sitting on when I first entered. Except, I wasn't sitting directly on the chair. Xanxus was on the chair, and I was on Xanxus. Knowing my own weight, I turned my head to speak over my shoulder.

"Aren't I too heavy?"

He chuckled and gripped me around the waist even tighter. It hurt slightly, my hips feeling compressed, so I tried to shift. His arms constricted even further, and that hurt a lot.

"Ah…" I flinched, trying to find a way to sit where I wouldn't be hurt.

"Sorry."

He actually seemed apologetic, and the limbs immediately loosened, giving me room to move and a painless way to sit.

"Thanks."

One of his arms moved to my shoulder and pushed my head down so it was on his shoulder. I still couldn't see his face, and I don't think I wanted to. I already had the urge to run, and I really didn't think it would help my situation whatsoever.

He kept me on his lap for God knows how long, never really letting me go. It was actually pretty comfortable, and he certainly was warm enough to keep me from getting cold. Still, it was awkward for me. I came home to find everyone being strangely nice, then Squalo told me I was pretty much useless and very breakable, then my boss forces me to sit on his rather comfortable lap while I wonder what the fuck happened while I was asleep in my bed, recovering from vertigo.

"Uh, Xanxus? Seriously, what's up?"

"Nothing." He muttered so low I barely heard him.

"Then why are you making me sit on you?"

"You're warm."

"I'm warm? You're a fucking furnace."

"Hm."

"I'm serious. Do you have a fever or something?"

"I don't get sick."

"For some reason, that is very believable. But I'm kinda freaking out here. Everyone's being just a bit too nice, and Squalo pretty much said I was useless and brea-"

"Fucker thinks he can insult you?"

Xanxus growled. He didn't growl like someone that you walked up to and punched out of the blue.

He growled like a lion about to kill you.

"Xanxus!" I cried out warningly, grabbing his arm after noticing he had stood. I would later realize how stupid this was, seeing as he had a crazy glint in his ruby eyes, but my brain was fried from the oddity of it all and I simply reacted. "He didn't actually say useless. He just… he just reminded me how, uh, delicate I am compared to you guys and how… breakable I am."

"Che. Not if I have a say." I was pretty sure I heard Xanxus mutter those words under his breath, a dark look in his eyes, but I might've imagined it.

"Are you feeling more normal now?"

"Eh?" he snarled, turning to face me, a head taller. I felt very small all of a sudden.

"This day has been strange. Do I need to repeat it?"

"No."

He used his inhuman speed again, this time to trap me against the wall, one hand next to my face and the other pinning my wrists above my head. He was being surprisingly gentle, but that didn't help the sinking feeling I was getting in the pit of my stomach.

"Xanxus…?" I said questioningly, hearing my heartbeat in my ears, the blood rushing by. It sped up to an alarming pace when he leaned his head down slightly and pressed his lips against mine, gently, as though he were afraid I would break like a china doll. A shiver ran down my spine, and I felt a kind of numbing cold start in my hands and wander down my arms to my shoulders. It kept going to constrict around my heart, but it stopped when his lips moved against my own, the contact getting rougher.

His hand didn't release my wrists, and he pressed his body against me, trapping me against the wall.

"Mmph…" I turned my head, breaking the kiss. "Xanxus, let me go. Stop it!"

He used his unoccupied hand to cup my cheek and force me to look at him. His red eyes were smoldering, making my knees weak with what I thought at first was fear.

"Xanxus…?"

I think he might've heard the quaver in my voice because he stopped himself right before he kissed me again, breath tickling my face, eyes nearly closed.

"What?" I barely heard his whisper above the pounding in my ear.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because."

He didn't give me a chance to continue speaking, pressing his body tight against my own and trapping me completely against the wall, ignoring all questions and protests that managed to make their way around his rough lips that covered mine.

* * *

"Mm…"

I snuggled closer to the heat that was so close to me, feeling two thick tendrils wrap themselves around me and pull me closer to the source. Rough skin, patched with scars, shivered ever so slightly as my cool hands spread over it, letting the warmth sink in. A blanket of heat surrounded me, keeping me comfortably warm with just enough of a cool breeze that came from a window to keep me from overheating.

"You awake?"

"Mm?"

I opened my eyes, revealing the two tendrils of heat to be his arms and the blanket to be the covers of the bed. The skin underneath my fingers belonged to none other than Xanxus, and the scars matched my multiple bruises.

"Ah, ow…"

I tried to move my legs, but pain shot down instead of up and I let them fall limp, instead sighing and looking up at his face. It was almost impassive, but I think he was still partially asleep.

"I am now."

"No shit."

He turned onto his back and I was pulled effortlessly on top of his chest, heart beating strongly against my bare skin. His breath ruffled my hair slightly, and mine tickled his chest, making him shift again. His arms stayed around my back and we simply laid together for as long as we could. I wasn't sure what was driving to make him act so… lovingly, but I prayed it didn't run out any time soon.

"Sorry." I heard him mutter, and one of his hands that dwarfed my own covered part of my side, matching the bruises exactly.

Holy shit.

That was the second time he apologized to me in the past 24 hours.

Holy fucking shit. That's a lot, coming from him.

"Xanxus?"

"Hm?"

I chuckled darkly. "I refuse to become one of your bitches, and I refuse to be a sex toy. I also refuse to let you abuse me on a regular occasion. Just a heads up."

"Wasn't planning on it. And I don't have bitches. Fucking annoying."

"Heh. Whatever you say."

"Squalo. What did he say to you exactly?"

"He was being nice, like Belphegor, and it was weird. He simply explained that compared to the rest of the Varia I'm rather breakable. A single misplaced punch and I'd probably be dead."

"Che. Fucker thinks-"

"I don't know what he was thinking, and I don't know what you're thinking, and I wonder why the hell I'm so calm right now."

"Because you're mine."

"That depends. Are you mine?"

I winced slightly, remembering who I was talking too just a moment too late.

"If you want."

The reply surprised me, not from the words, but because of the tone. It was tired, and almost cautious.

"Well… yes. Yes, I would like that. Because I don't feel like being used."

"You're not."

"Please explain that."

"Che."

He started to sit up and I slipped down, the bruises making me hurt like crazy, even more than my legs. "Ah." I winced again, the soreness and pain shooting me in the sides, legs, and arms. I ignored it and latched onto Xanxus. "No! Don't get up."

"What the fuck?"

"You're warm and I'm cold right now."

"Useless piece of… whatever."

He slipped back under the covers and I did my best to snuggle against his side without hurting myself even more and without irritating him. His arm seemed to move on its own and wrapped around me once more, pulling me close enough to lay my head on his chest. I sighed, very comfortable, and let my hand rest on his stomach, my eyes falling shut.

"Oi."

"Hm?"

"Gimme your hand."

I lifted my hand.

"The other hand."

I turned onto my back and gave him my left hand, feeling his calloused fingers gently take it and slip something on the ring finger. My eyes snapped open and I almost snatched it back, alarmed. It wasn't an engagement ring, though, so my panic faded.

"Scared ya? It's a fucking promise ring to make the pieces of trash out there keep their filthy hands off what's mine."

"Heh." I smiled, looking at the white gold band that held a simple diamond in the center. "Why me?"

"Because you're mine."

"Besides the obvious reason."

"Because…"

He seemed stuck for once, so I turned onto my stomach and leaned on my elbows, looking up at him. He saw me and growled, grabbing my shoulders and yanking me up onto his chest once again, kissing me roughly. When he let me go from the kiss he held me tightly against himself, taking a deep breath.

"Don't expect me to fucking repeat myself."

I nodded, unable to speak from the constricting force around my midsection and my ribcage.

"I want you to be mine – and mine alone – because… you're the first and _only_ good thing to come deep enough into the Mafia to reach me and _stay_ good. Everything else is corrupted, but… you stay pure. You don't let yourself be affected by the violence and the bloodshed, and… you stay by me. I want to _keep_ you by me, even if I have to destroy everything else in this godforsaken world to do it."

I blinked, startled. Xanxus actually felt that way?

"Xanxus?"

"What?" he growled.

"If I'm yours, then your mine, okay?"

"I knew you'd say that."

He held up his left hand to show a plain white gold band around his finger with the same vine like patterns as mine. I smiled brilliantly, feeling oddly elated.

My smile fell.

"Oh shit."

"What?"

"Cloak!"

I tried to leap out of the bed, temporarily forgetting my pain in the realization that Cloak probably thought I was dead. Xanxus, however, pinned me down and held me there, growling in irritation and laughing at me at the same time, making for an odd combination of sounds.

"Do you _mind_? She probably thinks I'm fucking dead!"

"Relax. She's tough, remember?"

I sighed. "You're not letting me up." I stated.

"I'm not letting you up." He confirmed, chuckling. I huffed and crossed my arms best I could.

"Well, I can't get up anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"That was my first time and I'm fucking sore. And in pain."

"Oh."

The facts seemed to slap him in the face and he rolled us both around, gently, so I was once again laying on his chest, his heart underneath my ear, the beats steady and strong.

"It's okay. I can get you to order people to bring me stuff."

"Got that right."

"Seriously?"

I lifted my head, eyebrows raised in amazement.

"You're mine. I take care of what's mine."

"So you're saying that since, in your mind, I belong to you like some object, you'll take care of me?" One eyebrow remained lifted, questioning him.

"Let me rephrase that. You're mine. If someone doesn't do as you say I will fucking kill them, then get someone else to do it."

I laughed with him, knowing he wasn't joking at all. I only hoped this affection would last longer than a month.

"Hello?"

"Hey Cloak!"

"Oh my God! Acer! Are you okay? What about your uncle? What happened? Is he okay?"

"That was a cover story. Go on Messenger and I'll tell you all about it, okay?"

"Uh, sure…"

The phone beeped and I took my laptop out of my bag. Xanxus had left a while ago with Squalo and some underlings to complete a mission, and I was in his room, sitting on the recently cleaned bed.

SKYVOV2 has logged on.

CLOAK&DAGGER has logged on.

CLOAK&DAGGER _"Who are you?"_

SKYVOV2 _"I'm insulted. Didn't I just tell you to log on?"_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"Acer?"_

SKYVOV2 _"No shit, Sherlock."_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"So, what happened?"_

SKYVOV2 _"The guest speaker, Iemitsu Sawada, is basically an underling of the man who's trying to find and force me into working for him. I'm currently hiding in plain sight. My uncle having a heart attack was just a cover story. No worries. Everything and everyone is fine. What about you and Jacki?"_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"Jacki was a bit worried. I'm fine, but…"_

SKYVOV2 _"But what?"_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"I… um, I need help… with someone."_

SKYVOV2 _"What can I do?"_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"Well… you know how I guessed you were in the Mafia?"_

SKYVOV2 _"Yeah?"_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"There's a gang of them chasing me, and I thought you were part of them."_

SKYVOV2 _"Name."_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"?"_

SKYVOV2 _"Give me a name."_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"Uh… well, there's one of them that's tried to talk to me… his name, I think, was Romario."_

SKYVOV2 _"Romario… What did he look like?"_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"Glasses, short black hair. He's middle aged, I think, and he mentioned someone named Dino."_

SKYVOV2 _"Dino and Romario. I'll see what can be done. Hold on a few minutes, I'll ask my brother."_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"Thank you so much."_

SKYVOV2 _"What are friends for?"_

I cracked my knuckles, trying to find my cell in my bag. I found it and pressed the speed dial for Belphegor, who answered almost immediately.

"Hello Merchant."

"Yo. Come to Xanxus's room for a second. Don't tell anyone, kay?"

"Very well."

The phoned beeped, and I hung up as well, putting it down beside me. Not a minute later someone knocked at the door and the prince's voice came through.

"C'mon in, Belphegor."

The dark door opened and Bel slipped in, shutting it behind him.

"Hello, Merchant. Ushishishi, why are you in the King's room?"

"Because I can't move right now, that's why. Sit."

I patted the bed beside me and he jumped onto it, bouncing in place for moment before smiling even wider and facing me, cross-legged. "What does the Merchant need from the Prince?"

"Tell me everything you know about Dino and Romario, please. They're hounding a friend of mine and I want to know why."

"Dino is the tenth boss of the Cavallone Family and Romario is his right-hand man."

"Are they allies of Vongola?"

"Yes."

"Okay… Why would they be bugging a college student?"

"Is it the Dark Princess they're annoying?"

"Yeah, it's Cloak. I'm worried, though. The way she said it means they might be resorting to force."

"Hm. Well, if you wish to speak with Dino, the Prince could arrange it. For a price, of course."

"What is it, then?" I was wary of this price, knowing he could demand something pretty high.

"Why is the Merchant wearing a promise ring in the King's room, and why can't she move?"

"I'm wearing a promise ring in Xanxus's room because he practically forced me into it, but it's okay, and I can't move because I'm bruised and sore. Now get me in contact with Dino, please."

"So… the Merchant is the Queen now?"

I blinked. "Uh, I guess so."

"The Prince is happy."

He laughed and gave me a quick, gentle hug. I shrugged, resolving to figure it out later, and went back to the computer as Belphegor snatched my phone, dialing a random number.

SKYVOV2 _"Yo. I'm getting in contact with these guys now. I'll have an answer pretty soon."_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"Who are they?"_

SKYVOV2 _"A boss and his right-hand man."_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"Shit, holy shit… what do I do?"_

SKYVOV2 _"Want me to send for you? I'm not sure how people will receive you, but my brother seems to be… uh, fascinated by you and he'd probably do it."_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"Fascinated?"_

SKYVOV2 _"He's a bit insane and is obsessed with royalty, and calls people peasants. He seems to think you're descendant from the Australia monarchy, disbanding centuries ago."_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"How did he know that?"_

SKYVOV2 _"Like I said, obsessed. Anyway, want me to send for you?"_

CLOAK&DAGGER _"Um, okay…"_

SKYVOV2 has logged off.

"Hey, Belphegor… any way we can bring her here?"

"Ushishishi… the Prince shall fetch the Princess, yes?"

"Yes. Go fetch the Princess. And don't freak her out, please. And get Lussuria up here, I need to go to my own room now."

"Very well…"

He slipped off the bed and dashed out the door with a surprising velocity, and minutes later Lussuria was at the door, cooing over the ring of which he didn't even know the giver, or (probably) the meaning.

"Well, let's get you to your room, then. You can't walk, right?"

"Right."

"Well, let's do this, then!"

He picked me up bodily with unnatural strength and skipped… yes, _skipped_ all the way to the other end of the goddamn base. The whole time he acted like he was holding a fucking feather instead of a woman, and every single time we passed by other members he'd jump-kick them so fast I thought we didn't move at all. It was kind freaky.

When he placed me gently onto my own bed, he laughed and said it was nothing before I could even say thank you. Then he asked for a reward, and proceeded to put up my hair in complex braids and twists, pinning it all in place with only a few bobby pins.

"I've always wanted to see how this would look on you! It's so beautiful, hun!"

"Uh, thanks. Now, Cloak is probably on the way, so could you go and make sure no one attacks her?"

"Oh, sure. Anything for that darling little girl. Hm?"

He left me to my thoughts, and I patted my hair, looking in the mirror and posing a few times. "It really does look good on me, huh?" I smirked and snapped a photo with my cell so I wouldn't forget it.

Stumbling back to the bed, I sat down cross-legged and put my phone on the night-stand, opening my laptop once more to find a few new emails. One from the school, one from Jacki, and one from Mammon that told me about the latest news in the stock market and asked my opinion.

I smiled lightly at the one from the Arcobaleno, knowing that he was asking this mainly to show that he trusted me to keep my word and pay him back one day.

I analyzed the statistics and replied with my personal opinion on what businesses would fall and which would rise, and what actions he should take.

_Knock-knock-knock._

"Come in." I called in reply, closing my computer and pushing it away from me slightly. A very, very startled Cloak entered with a bag on her back, visible eye wide as a dinner plate and an expression that said she was in complete and utter shock.

"Hey, Cloak." I greeted casually, waving. She slowly turned her head to look at me as though I was a stranger, then recognition dawned on her face and she walked with the pace of a snail towards my bed.

"Hi." she said simply, standing in front of me.

"I know you're probably in shock, but sit!" I commanded cheerfully, patting the bed beside me.

"Okay."

She turned and sat down on the edge of the bed, and I reached over to warily take her bag and put it on the floor beside her feet. She didn't even notice and I sighed.

"Cloak, I need you to talk to me to be able to help you."

"Oh, uh… Well, the guys that were after me… um, they said something about recruiting me to give me access to supplies to heal people, and helping my career as a doctor. Or something."

"Hm. Well, as it turns out, Dino is the tenth boss of the Cavallone Family, and Romario is his right-hand man. They're also our most trusted allies."

"Huh?"

She gave me a look filled with so much panic, worry, and fear, I reached out and pulled her into a hug. "Don't you worry. I won't let anything bad happen to you. I won't. I'll even beg my Boss's boss to keep the pressure off you. Seriously. I will. I'll speak with our own Tenth boss, and the Ninth, even though I don't like him at all, and see what I can do. I'll get the rest of the Varia to help, too, okay?"

"Why… why for me, though?" she whispered hoarsely, her fear not abating in the least.

"Cause you're not just my friend, you're my fucking family. That's why."

"And… family is the most important thing in the world, right?" Her voice seemed less shaky, holding more determination and strength than before.

"Right. I may not be a fighter, but I can be scary all the same. Now, tell me your opinion on what's going on."

"You're loaded. You're Mafia. And your top ally was trying to recruit me by force. What do you think my opinion is?"

I laughed. "Here, let me contact my Boss for a sec."

I grabbed my laptop and opened it for the umpteenth time that day, clicking on MSN.

SKYVOV2 has logged on.

I quickly checked the roster for Online people, and saw Belphegor, Mammon, and Squalo. There was a new one, named 9SKYOV.

"Nine, Ninth… Sky, Boss… OV, of Vongola… Must be the Ninth." I muttered under my breath, ignoring the questioning glance Cloak sent my way.

SKYVOV2 _"Hello, Ninth."_

9SKYOV _"Hello. And you are?"_

SKYVOV2 _"My name is Acer. I am the new Officer of the Varia."_

9SKYOV _"Ah, of course. And what is it you wanted to speak of?"_

SKYVOV2 _"My friend seems to be having problems with our ally, Dino Chiavarone. I was hoping you would be willing to help me meet him to clear it up."_

9SKYOV _"Hm. I'm not sure I would want to. I will have to meet you in person first. I haven't even heard anything of a new Officer named Acer from Xanxus."_

SKYVOV2 _"Of course. Did you have sometime in mind?"_

9SKYOV _"Which base are you currently in?"_

SKYVOV2 _"I am in the American base."_

9SKYOV _"Very well. You will come to Italy with Xanxus and your friend. I will see what can be done."_

SKYVOV2 _"Thank you very much, Ninth."_

9SKYOV has logged off.

"Che, bastard… logs off without saying goodbye… fucker thinks he can ignore me?"

"Isn't he the top Boss though?"

"Oh. Well, maybe he can ignore me, then. I doubt he can ignore Xanxus, though. Not many can."

Cloak shifted and faced me, face demanding answers. "You always speak of this Xanxus guy as though he were indestructible."

"That's cause he is. If you shoot him he'll dodge and shoot back, and if you piss him off he'll shoot you. Either way, you'll most likely die."

"Hm. Doesn't sound like the kind of boss I would want."

"My story is a lot different than yours." I commented offhandedly, staring into space and remembering how I had been dragged into the Mafia, only to be saved and given options by the Varia, my Family.

"Moving on! The Ninth wants me, Xanxus, and you to go to Italy to meet him. He said he'd see what can be done, but I do hope Xanxus will comply with what I have planned, otherwise the Ninth would probably eat me alive."

"Wow. He sounds like the kind of boss I wouldn't want, too."

I laughed, patting Cloak on the shoulder. "Ah, but Xanxus is exactly the kind of boss I want, and the one I have. Now, on to lighter topics, eh?"

* * *

Please remember that I write this because I want to. I also want to discuss whatever the hell you wanna talk about! If you look really deep in parts of the series (soon to be of 3 parts), then you'll see that there are a lot of things that you can think deeply on and make assumptions. Please, tell me what you find and I'll tell you what it's about!

~Panther-chan


	5. We're Off to See the Wizened!

Woo! Yet another chapter. Lol, this one's actually a bit shorter than the others currently out... But that's probably because I write and write, and I seperate it into chapters after the story's completely done. Anyway, in this one, ou'll have a lot of seemingly pointless things going on. But, in actuallity, it's all important in some form or another.

Try to figure out how!

~Panther-chan

* * *

Four days later, Xanxus, Squalo and Levi came back from whatever they had been doing, and I greeted them at the door with a smile and Cloak fidgeting nervously beside me.

"Voi! Who the fuck is this, eh?"

Squalo snarled at my friend, making her cower.

"I would appreciate if you didn't frighten my friend, Squalo." I growled. He started, looking at me with wide eyes.

"Whaaat? You're picking up strays now?"

"Squalo."

"What, Boss?"

"Shut the fuck up."

Xanxus smacked the shark's head, sending him flying, and looked me over, followed by a close inspection of Cloak. I could feel her trembling slightly underneath his piercing red eyes.

"Who is she?"

"My friend. Her real name is Cassandra Summers, but she prefers to be called Cloak, as I said a while back."

"Why is she here now?"

"She was having trouble with Dino's men, who were pressuring her into joining their Family. She felt cornered and asked me for help, so I contacted the Ninth."

An unsavory taste entered my mouth at the fact that I asked the man for help, and I think it showed on my face because Xanxus smirked, amused. "Apparently, you haven't notified him you have a new Officer named Acer, but he told me that he wishes to meet me in Italy as soon as you returned from your mission. You, me, and Cloak are going "the day you get back", which would be today."

"And why wasn't I told about this?" he demanded, a darkened aura surrounding him. I stood up a little straighter and crossed my arms, trying to make Cloak feel protected. Bel stood by her side, Lussuria on her other. They had been attracted by the yell that Squalo had let loose on sight.

"Because I couldn't get a hold of you." I replied.

"And is this the kind of greeting I'm gonna get every time I come back?"

"If you wanted a kiss, you could've just told me that." He grinned at my reply.

I took a step forward, reached up, and placed my lips against his, feeling him smirk into it as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer. I heard Belphegor laughing at the other's reactions, and Cloak was spluttering some nonsense in a foreign language.

"Welcome back, Grumpy."

"Who's grumpy?" he growled.

"You, in the morning." I laughed, stepping back and trying to return to Cloak's side. However, Xanxus refused to release me, and held me close.

"Anyway, the Ninth wants us in Italy soon. I don't like asking him for help, but Cloak needed someone to step in. The Chiavarones were probably going to resort to force, and she already felt cornered to ask me for help. Sorry for dragging you into such a mess, but…"

"Don't worry about it." He brought his head down to whisper in my ear, and I smiled gently, relaxing. I reached up and gave him another kiss.

"Thanks."

"You do realize that if you don't want her in another Family she'll have to join us, right?"

"I already have a plan."

"Bet you don't have a plane, though."

"You're right. We'll use the Varia's."

"Damn straight. Thing's got the best fucking wet bar in Italy."

"We're not in Italy."

"VOI!"

The yell interrupted our whispered exchange and I looked at the white-haired shark, curious.

"Yes?"

"WHAT THE FUCK'S GOING ON HERE?"

"What do you mean?" I kept smiling, and Xanxus tightened his grip around my hips, the other hand finding its way into his pocket once more.

"YOU'RE WITH THE FUCKING BOSS?"

"Yes. I'd appreciate it if you would stop yelling, actually."

"VVVOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIII!"

_Smash._

"Shut up, trash."

"Xanxus, why did you throw one of the white lamps? You're supposed to throw a red one so the bloodstains don't show."

He chuckled, finally letting me go to return to his office to change and contact the Ninth. I turned to Cloak, and shrugged at her baffled look.

"What?"

"You… he… boss… but… together… huh?"

"He's my boss, and my lover. We're in the Mafia. What's so weird about that?"

"How… when…?"

"How? I dunno. How else do these things happen? As for when, well, when I got here. Now c'mon. Let's finish getting you ready. Lussuria!"

I had to shout over Squalo's complaining, but the Sun Guardian heard me and walked right over, stepping on the shark's stomach with unnecessary force as he passed with a smile.

"Yes, hun?"

"The clothes should've arrived by now. Would you mind bringing them to my quarters?"

"Sure thing."

I smiled and thanked him, then dragged Cloak back to my room where she would no doubt interrogate me heavily.

* * *

"YOU HAVE A PLANE?"

"It's a jet, actually, but yeah." I replied. "I've never seen it since I'm pretty new, but it's named _Apollo_ and apparently it has a great wet bar inside it."

"You have a freaking jet?"

"You said yourself we're loaded. I think I agree with you." I chuckled, walking down the halls with a struggling peon behind us carrying the bag that Lussuria filled with clothes for Cloak. She had no idea that the entire thing was filled with stuff that was for her. She thought it was mine, most likely, but I didn't ruin the surprise for her. "Though, it's all dirty money."

"You're fucking rich."

"The Family is, yep."

"You could take over the fucking world."

"Not easily. The rest of the Mafia wouldn't take too kindly to us invading their turf, ya know?"

"Holy fucking mother of God."

"Not quite there yet, no."

The exchange lasted only until we got outside, where two cars were waiting to take  
Xanxus, me, Cloak, Belphegor, and Mammon to the private airport. The two additions were brought to make sure no ambushes would be effective, just in case.

"You're riding with the other two."

"You mean Bel and Mammon?"

"Yeah. Any problems with them, just use the intercom. It connects our cars."

"I don't think I will. Belphegor is a gentleman with me, and Mammon isn't too bad."

"Mammon probably likes you because Bel likes you and you're royalty. He thinks you're rich. Or Xanxus is paying him overtime. One of the two."

"Overtime?"

"He's a greedy baby."

"Ah."

I waved to her from my spot beside my car as she clambered in. I saw the prince through a window and pointed at him, then to my eyes. He nodded fervently and waved back, and I could've sworn he was laughing at me.

Any further thoughts on that subject were interrupted when Xanxus wrapped a strong, unrelenting arm around my waist and yanked me down to sit beside him, the other hand on my head so I wouldn't get hit.

"If you wanted me to sit down so badly, you could've just asked." I smiled brightly at him as he pressed the button to activate the black reinforced glass that would separate us from the driver.

"Where's the fun in that?" he breathed, right next to my ear. I shivered as he ran one hand down my leg, shifting so I was more comfortable. I heard him growl softly, and smirked at the forming pattern.

"Did you know you growl when you want me?"

"So?"

"So, it makes for an excellent hint on when I should start running."

"Run away from me and I'll just chase you down."

"Tempting."

"Too bad the car's fucking moving now."

"Aw, look. You made me lose my chance."

"Stop your complaining." He growled softly, nibbling my ear and making me shiver again. I had my back against the door and he was kneeling above me, my legs in between his.

"You know, this isn't exactly a safe position."

"We won't crash."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I fucking say so."

I smirked, reached up, and gave him the best kiss I could. When I leaned back slightly, his face was slightly baffled, and flushed. I smiled knowingly, and he pulled me down so I was laying on him, absorbed in the heat he was giving off.

I smirked. "Enjoyed that, did you?"

"Fuck yeah." He replied, smiling crookedly before practically tackling me to steal another kiss.

The ride to the airport was never shorter, and I think we traumatized the chauffeur.

* * *

When we arrived, a bit behind Cloak's car, we walked up to the jet's docking booth and I had to laugh at the expression of utter shock that Cloak sent me. Her visible eye was wider than a dinner plate, and her mouth was a thin straight line. I smirked and walked over to her.

"Like it?"

"Like it? It's fucking huge!"

"It's a jet. What'd you except, a banana?" I chuckled.

"No! But… Well, you're rich!"

"Yes. We've gone over this already. My Family is filthy fucking rich. Now, are you gonna get on the plane or I am gonna have to ask Lussuria to carry you on?"

"I'll go." She replied quickly, her pace increasing after a glance at the green-haired man. I followed her, passing Levi as we climbed into the jet with a smile to the mustachioed man. He nodded, shutting and sealing the door behind us as we were the final passengers. However, being inside _Apollo_ did nothing to curb Cloak's amazement, and she wandered the ship with Bel trailing after her because of a quick glance from me.

I sighed, looking around and deciding to find the bar. That was probably where Xanxus was, if not in his room on the aircraft.

"Oi, Mammon. Where's the bar?"

"It's near the tail, that way."

"Thanks."

"Hm."

The Arcobaleno simply floated away, and I wondered briefly if he was wanting a nap. I laughed silently, the image of him in tiny little baby pajamas with frogs and money patterned onto them making me smile.

"Ah, Xanxus. I thought you'd be here."

"Miss me?" he smirked, patting his thigh. I smiled slightly and took the invitation to sit on his lap in the large chair, snuggling into the warm chest behind me. I heard him chuckle, the sound reverberating through his chest, and I sighed.

"You know… when we get to the Italian base, people are gonna see how fucking useless I am."

"You're in the fucking Varia. Enough said." He growled lightly, rubbing my shoulder absently with his unoccupied hand, the other holding a glass of alcohol.

"Hey, is that stuff good?" I pointed at it.

"What, this? It's Dark Ambrosia, the stuff I gave you the first fucking night."

"Oh yeah… then, I'll stick with whisky, thanks. I wanna enjoy the buzz, not pass out like a fucking lightweight."

"Hey, trash. Get her a fucking glass."

"Yes, sir!"

I shifted and used his shoulder to look over the back of the chair, looking at the doors to what I supposed was a stockroom in amusement. "You sure got a lot of bitches willing to do your shit for you."

"It's in the job description." He shrugged, making me lose my balance and fall back onto his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and sighed again, comfortable.

"Enjoying using me as a fucking chair, I see."

"Hey, you're the one who invited me over."

"I'm not fucking regretting it."

He grabbed my ass and gave it a squeeze, making me squeak lightly and jump a few inches. I gingerly put my hand on the sore spot.

"That hurt!" I whined, pouting. He grinned crookedly.

"Want me to kiss it better?"

"Only if you feel like getting a boot to the face."

"Cheeky little brat, ain't ya?"

"I'm not a brat. And I'll warn you now, if you wanna trade insults, I'll give you an earful, you fucking douche bag."

"Where's the proof of that, cocky bitch?"

"Right here."

I punched his cheek with as much force as I could, knowing it wasn't much compared to him, and jumped up, skipping backwards and laughing as he surged to his feet, glass of alcohol forgotten as he darted after me, eyes alight at the prospect of a chase.

Passing Belphegor, I used a pole supporting the ceiling to spin around and sprint out the door again, laughing out loud. "Trouble keeping up, Xanxus?" I taunted, looking back for a moment before going through another door. His response was an irritated snarl and a short laugh as we passed Lussuria, who squawked, making me laugh so hard I choked for a moment on my own spit. I kept going, hoping to find a lockable door soon: I was running out of steam from the ten-minute chase.

"Mu… what the hell are you doing?"

"Oh, hey Mammon! He's horny, so I'm running away. Eep!"

The moment of distraction the infant provided gave Xanxus an opening to grab me and he took it without hesitation, swinging me by the waist through the air, coming to a stop pressed against him.

"Shut your mouth, woman." He growled when I peeked up at him, an innocent expression on my face that was replaced by a smirk of amusement right before I slipped away, hearing him roar behind me.

I passed Lussuria on the way back to the bar.

"Quick! Where's Xanxus' room?"

"Oh, down there, left, right, left."

"Thanks!"

I kept moving, my legs starting to feel leaden, straight to the room I hoped would give me a moment's respite.

"Gotcha."

"Ah!"

I twitched, surprised when he finally caught up again and tackled me onto the bed, kissing me roughly. I smiled when he released me, on his hands and knees over me on the giant bed.

"Hi." I waved, grinning. He chuckled and gave me another kiss. "What's up?"

"I'm not horny, I wanted a fucking kiss."

"Ah. Okay. Goodnight, then."

I rolled over into his arm, making him collapse behind me, and laid on my side, shutting my eyes and curling up a bit. He growled irritably, but laid down as well, one arm under the pillow and my head, and the other snaking its way around my stomach, making me feel safe.

"Thanks."

"Hm."

* * *

"Aw… look at them! They're so cute together."

"Um, Lussuria? I don't think "cute" is the term you use to describe a deadly assassin as his girlfriend."

"Ushishishi… should we take a picture?"

"Mu… we can make people bet on whether or not Boss has a sweet side, then show them the pictures. Good idea, Belphegor. You. Get the camera."

"Y-yes sir, Lord Mammon!"

"Wow. You guys have a lot of people serving you."

"They come and go. But, jeez! This really is just too cute for words! Who knew the boss had such a sweet side to him?"

"I think it's only for Acer, anyway."

"Well, whatever." Lussuria shrugged, his Mohawk bobbing slightly with the movement. He smiled, and put a finger on his lips, the other hand on his hip. "And did you hear them earlier? She called him all sorts of colorful swear words and they bantered, then she punched him and he chased her to steal a kiss! Not a single hit! What is it about her that makes him so soft?"

"Maybe her accepting personality?" I suggested, remembering how easily she had taken to having a roommate.

"Ushishishi… she is the Queen and he is the King. You don't understand because you are all merely peasants. However, the Princess knows because she is royalty!"

"Uh, right. Sure." I shrugged. "Um, where's my room? Seeing them sleeping is making me tired, too."

"Oh! Right this way, hun. Just don't copy them and sleep in your clothes: wear your adorable new pajamas!"

"I'm almost afraid to ask…" I murmured, flicking my head slightly to get my bangs out of my other eye to let me see properly. "Do they have cats on them or something?"

"Nope! Little scythes. Bel decided on the patterns."

"Scythes. Huh. Cool."

I nodded, following the man to the next room over, opening it and looking inside to see the plane flaunting their wealth even more. Everything with this screwed-up Family is rich, expensive, and made of only the finest quality products. Even their servants have Valentino suits! How much freaking money do these people have?

Not to mention, my best friend is one of them. But from what I can tell, she's not a fighter. At least, not yet. Maybe they know how brilliant she is? Either way, she's their Boss's woman, so she's being taken care of quite nicely. Hopefully she won't get too pampered, but with her attitude, she'll be fine.

What I really don't understand is how shocked everyone is to find out that this Xanxus person has a heart. He's human, of course he has a sweet spot for the woman he loves enough to give a white gold and diamond custom promise ring from Bulgari.

I just hope she's not with him because of the way he feels, but because of the way they both feel. Knowing her, she'd hook up with someone just because her strong sense of empathy would tell her how they feel.

* * *

When I was awoken to the smell of chamomile tea, I sat up to see Lussuria opening the door and bringing in a tray with a mug of tea and some cookies.

"Cookies?" I demanded single-mindedly. He chuckled and handed it over, letting me take my pick and my tea. "Thanks. Where'd Xanxus go?"

"He's on the phone, talking to Ninth boss."

"Ah. Killed anyone yet?"

"Yep. Two servants. Almost caught Belphegor's hair on fire, too."

"Woops. Better go see him."

"Just be careful, okay hun? And your friend's asleep in her room."

I stood up carefully with my tea, smiling at the soothing scent. "Alright. Thanks, Luss."

"No problem, dearie."

He followed me out the door and I set to wandering the halls until I found my man.

"There you are."

"Eh?"

Xanxus sent a murderous glare towards Lussuria, who seemed to wilt and bow, backing out the door. I sighed, took a sip of tea, and walked over to where Xanxus was holding the phone at arm's length away from his ear. I heard faint curse words from the line.

"Who's that?" I pointed at it.

"One of the Old Man's advisors."

"They sound upset."

"No shit."

"How many times did you threaten them?"

"… A few." He replied sheepishly, and I welcomed myself to sit on his lap again.

"You have a comfy lap."

"Who would've guessed, what with you fucking sitting on me every hour."

I shrugged and took another sip of tea, taking the phone.

"Hello?"

"Huh? Oh, hello. Who is this?"

"My name is Acer. I'm the new recruit. Xanxus has calmed down now. If you wish to speak with him again, I'm pretty sure I can keep him calm for the remained of the discussion."

"How did you manage that?"

The man sounded amused.

"Well, I greeted him, sat on him, and told him he has a comfy lap."

"…"

"Hello?" I furrowed my brows, wondering if they were still there.

"Holy mother of… you said you're a new recruit?"

"Yes. Incidentally, I was immediately an Officer. Now, would you like to return to your conversation with Xanxus or should I keep uttering inane chatter?"

"Hand the phone to your Boss, please."

"Alright."

I handed it to him with a grin, and he chuckled, shaking his head at my antics. "Hello?" he growled slightly, and I put a hand on his cheek. His expression softened instantaneously as he nuzzled my hand, making me smile sweetly. He really was just a prickly teddy bear. With me, anyway.

When the phone was hung up, I sighed, always smiling. "So?"

"So, what?"

"So, what's happening?"

He blinked. "When we get to the base, you get to meet the Tenth Generation Guardians and Reborn first, since they're visiting the Old Man. He's gonna test you or some shit to make sure you live up to Varia Quality."

"He knows I'm not a combatant, right?"

"Yeah. I already told them, you're responsible for intelligence and strategy."

"'Kay."

I left my arms around his neck, my head resting on his shoulder.

"Xanxus?" I asked after a while of silence.

"What?" he mumbled, obviously fighting sleep.

"Sorry for dragging you into all this. You probably weren't expecting to leave as soon as you got back home."

"S'fine."

"You sure?"

"Yah."

"Okay."

* * *

D'aw, so cute. And, once again, try and find the hidden stuff! Take the hints and piece them together! And, another poll! Both will be answered in due time. Now then...

Why do you think Cloak, appanrelty descendant of some kind of ancient monarchy, is in America instead of her home country, Australia?

Have fun piecing the puzzles together!

~Panther-chan


	6. Casa Dolce Casa

Another chapter! Woo!

Have fun reading this one!

~Panther-chan

* * *

I was woken gently by the ever-smiling Belphegor, in Xanxus' room on his bed, yet again.

"Huh?"

"We've landed, Queen. We're in Italy! Ushishishi… The Prince is home."

"Cool. Where's Cloak?"

"The Princess is with Mammon, and Lussuria is staying on the plane to be sure nothing happens to _Apollo_."

"And Xanxus?"

"The King awaits!"

The kid I called a brother picked me up and darted out the door, my head barely missing the door frame.

"Being picked up like a fucking feather is getting annoying!" I shouted, getting irritated.

"Ushishishi… if the Queen were faster I wouldn't need to! But the King is becoming impatient, no doubt."

"Put me down!"

* * *

He complied as soon as we were outside and I grumbled as I felt my boots make contact with the ground once more. I straightened my jacket and patted the dust out of my pants, and looked up to see Xanxus motion me forward. I let my automatic reaction to seeing him come forth: a smile.

"Hey." I greeted, responded to the arm he wrapped around my waist with a kiss.

"This is Acer, I suppose?"

"No shit. The new recruit's the only one other than me and the fucking civilian being chased by that goddamn Bucking Bronco in this motherfucking mess."

"No need to get pissy, Xanxus."

"You're one shitty Outside Advisor, Iemitsu. You don't even recognize the people visiting your precious fucking boss!"

The blond man sighed. "Fine, whatever. The car's over there."

"Che."

He squeezed my shoulder, signaling I should follow him after I introduce myself, and stalked over to the waiting black vehicle. The man never just walked: no. He stomped, stalked, marched, sauntered, sneaked, swaggered, and strutted, but he never walked.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Acer, and in situations that call for registry I use Squalo's name, Superbi, as my own."

"Huh. Nice to meet you too. I'm Iemitsu Sawada, and as Xanxus over there stated, I'm the Ninth Generation's Outside Advisor. I'm from Japan, and I've got the cutest wife and son over there!"

The man smiled brightly and I laughed. "To make you grin like that, he must be adorable!"

"I've got pictures! Here!"

He took out his wallet and showed me a picture of a brown-haired, brown-eyed boy with a kind face and a small smile. He looked to be, maybe, in middle school, but more likely elementary.

"Yep, adorable." I confirmed.

"Heh… not to be offensive, but you're not the run-of-the-mill murderous assassin I'd expect from the Varia. The craziest people on the Earth manage to find and follow Xanxus."

"I'm not an assassin, though. I'm a tactician."

"Still. You're not even mean!"

"I'm told that I'm a very accepting person."

"You must be, to get Xanxus to open up."

I smiled thoughtfully, remembering the first night. "Well, actually, it was the other way around. I came home one night, on vacation from Harvard and getting my Doctorates, to find everyone being oddly kind. Then Xanxus gets affectionate and voila! We're a couple. He's even gotten me a ring to keep everyone else's grubby paws off me."

Iemitsu stared at me for a minute, and then chuckled, turning it into a booming laugh, clutching his stomach. I laughed with him, since it was so infectious, and then patted his still-shaking shoulder as a horn honked.

"It seems my man's getting impatient. I'll see you later, I suppose."

"Yeah… sure… hahaaa! Wait 'till I tell the others about this!"

"Glad I managed to brighten your day."

I glided over to the car and slipped in, smiling brightly. "Got impatient, didja?"

"Drive." He snarled at the chauffer, who stepped on the gas immediately. He reached over and pulled me towards him, stealing another deep kiss. I took the chance to reach over his shoulder and grab the seat belt, buckling it.

"What the fuck?" he growled, yanking on it and ripping it off. The buckle remained in the receptor in the seat.

"Safety first." I smirked. "And be careful with your actions, mister: I control the sex, remember?"

His eyes widened and I could've sworn he paled, but I laughed at his reaction either way. "Don't worry. I don't take that lightly because I'd end up suffering after a while, too." I sighed, resting my head on his shoulder and glancing at the white driver, his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard the leather was pulled into wrinkles. I chuckled, earning a quirky glance from Xanxus, but patted his chest, telling him silently to leave it be.

* * *

When we got to the mansion the first thing he did was pull me out of the car, gently.

"We get in there, you gotta have an aura of restrained power, else the fuckers will think you're weak and try to attack you."

"What do you mean, aura of power? I'm not a fighter, Xanxus. I'm a freaking strategist."

"I know. Try and copy Belphegor or something."

"I'll… try, I guess. Don't expect too much success, though."

"If I have to I'll increase my aura, but if you don't have your own people will notice, and I _will_ kill them."

"And you _will_ calm down."

I put as much force as I could muster into my voice and eyes, and he shivered.

"Yeah… keep doing that. You'll scare the trash so bad they'll shit themselves." He grinned, and I smiled back.

"I have a question, though."

"What?"

"Should they know about… well, us, or not?"

"Fuck yeah. You're mine."

"Heh. The opposite is true, too. Don't forget that."

"I won't."

He signaled to Cloak to follow and I sent the poor girl a comforting, confident smile, nodding slightly. She sighed and jogged over to us, and we started to walk.

"I'm in front so they don't attack. Cloak, you stay right behind me. Acer, slightly to her right."

"Got it." I confirmed, patting her on the shoulder.

"Walk calmly. Don't show your fear." he commanded, a pointed glance at Cloak telling me why. I nodded, relaxed all my muscles, put on a small smile, and released the pent-up energy I had collected, trying to recreate what I had done to make Xanxus shiver. Cloak twitched and stared at me, and I winked, giggling.

* * *

As soon as we entered the mansion I saw the reason for the aura my boss had mentioned: the place was filled with assassins and hitmen ready to kill us. They stared long at hard at Cloak, gave me a passing glance, and pointedly avoided looking directly at Xanxus, who was snarling, hands in his pockets as he strutted past them, me and my friend following silently.

Soon, we reached a large common area with five teens and two kids inside.

"Look, Xanxus."

"HIIIE!"

I started slightly at the cry, surprised, and tried to find which one had shouted. It was the brown-haired one with wide eyes, from Iemitsu's picture. I smiled gently, and patted Xanxus on the arm, walking over and kneeling beside him.

"Hello, you must be Tsuna. I met your father earlier. My name's Acer."

I held out a hand and he stared up at me, shock written on his face. "A-aren't you Varia?"

"Yup. But I'm a non-combatant." I stood up, my hand still out, and he took it, allowing me to pull him to his feet. In less than a moment I was surrounded, a sword near my throat and two others in front of me, one with his fists in the air and the other brandishing dynamite sticks. I grinned and shook my head slightly.

"You're pissing Xanxus off, you know. Besides, I'm hardly a threat."

"You are."

I glanced at the only person alone in the room: he had his arms crossed and was sitting comfortably and calmly on a sofa, which was otherwise uninhabited.

"And why is that?" I inquired, just as calmly.

"You are a carnivore."

The other teenagers jumped nearly simultaneously, and backed up as I raised an eyebrow. "As I said, I'm a total non-combatant. And a new recruit."

An arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me towards its owner, who growled at the kids. "And _mine_." he claimed through gritted teeth.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "We've been through this. Now, introduce me so I don't get them mixed up."

"Ciaossu, Acer. I'm Reborn. You've already met Tsuna, that's Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, Hibari, and the dumb cow Lambo."

I committed it all to memory and smiled brightly. "Nice to meet you all. I'm Acer, the main tactician of the Varia and seventh Officer. I'm also-"

"Mine." Xanxus growled lowly into my ear, air tickling my ear. I sighed again, and pointed up at him.

"…his."

* * *

"Move, trash."

"The Ninth left orders that no one was to-"

"I said, move."

He glared and the guards jumped away from the door as though it was on fire, and my lover kicked it open, receiving shouts and calls for security. He barked out an order to shut up and sit down, which was immediately obeyed, and he took a seat opposite his father, the Ninth Boss of the Vongola Mafia Family, signaling for Cloak to sit between me and him.

"I see you arrived safely." The old man commented dryly as his son made himself comfortable, ankles and arms crossed and feet on the table. Cloak was sitting on her hands, her hair shadowing her face. I was the only one sitting normally, face a deceiving mask of calmness.

"No shit."

"I suppose you know why I called you here?"

"That's Acer, the new recruit and tactician. That's her friend Cloak who's being pressured by Chiavarone. Fix it."

"So gruff…" he sighed, shaking his head. "It's not that simple, you know."

"Is it, actually. If you would allow me to meet with Chiavarone the Tenth I believe we could come to an understanding regarding Cloak very quickly."

He stared at me for a moment, then gave Xanxus an ineffectively stern look. "You allow your subordinates to speak out to a superior?"

"With all due respect, sir, Xanxus is my boss, not you. Plus, I respect those who deserve it and so far I've only seen that you hold no significant power over my Family, the Varia, and I've only met you once."

A moment of fear almost passed me when he stared right into my eyes, but I looked right back at him, my signature calmness winning through. He sighed again, heavily, and nodded.

"Very well. On to more important matters. You say you need to meet with Dino?"

"It would help, yes."

"Just you, or would my son and your friend be going as well?"

"With his temperament, I don't think it'd be wise to bring him. Cloak wouldn't be of use either, since this is her first exposure to the darker side of the Mafia."

"Very well. I will speak further about this with Xanxus. For now, wait outside."

"Xanxus?"

"I think they'd be fine to stay in here. Anything you can tell me, you can tell her."

I glanced at Cloak. "If that's so, then Cloak should remain outside the door. Perhaps with a guard, since so many hitmen outside seemed to want her dead on the way here."

"Very well." He pressed a button on his intercom. "Iemitsu, come and fetch young Miss Summers, please. Remain just outside the door."

"_Yes, sir._"

"Thank you."

He released the button and turned back to us. We waited a few moments in an awkward silence, and as soon as Cloak was outside with the Outside Advisor the Ninth spoke up.

"Why is it you trust a new subordinate so much, Xanxus?"

I smirked. "May I?" I inquired, seeing his amusement. He nodded and I held up my hand. "Simply because he can… because I've proven I _can_ be trusted."

The white gold ring glinted in the light, and the old man just sat there, staring at it. He looked to Xanxus for confirmation, who held up his hand and spoke.

"Which means that if one of your men try _anything_ with her or her little friend out there, I will be _pissed_ off, and I _will_ kill them."

"I see that." I could've sworn I saw an inkling of fear because of the glinting red eyes that smoldered in front of him, but it was only a flash. "Since when?"

"First."

I blinked. Really? Since that first cadaver, he saw something in me he liked? Wow.

The Ninth's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?"

"She's neck deep in the darkest side of the fucking Mafia and nothing affects her. Nothing fucking _changes_ her. She's like ice."

Ice? Hm. I'll remember that. Maybe I'll pour ice down the back of his shirt or something.

"Ice?"

"Did I stutter?"

I sighed. "Not to be rude, but we came here to discuss measures to stop the harassment Chiavarone the Tenth has brought onto my friend."

"Right." Ninth nodded, and reached over to the phone. He pressed a speed-dial button and within moments it was answered.

"I need to speak with Dino, please. No, it's not an emergency. Just something with the friend of my son's subordinate. Thank you."

I sighed, and crossed my knees, waiting. Xanxus just snorted, turned to the man in the shadows, and demanded a bottle of scotch.

"Dino! Hello. No, it's not an emergency. You see, my son has recently recruited a new tactician, and it seems your men have been pressuring her friend into joining your Family. Instead of causing trouble they came to me. No, nothing like that. She would like to meet with you, however."

He gave me a pointed glance and I merely kept my smile on my face, my eyes holding nothing but a calm confidence in my man's power and my own mind. I nodded.

"Very well. I can agree to that, and I'm sure she will, too. You don't need to worry about him. I'm sure she'll calm him down."

That last statement caught Xanxus' attention and he stood up, hand straying to his gun. I put a hand on his lower arm and he stopped, but still glared. The phone was hung up after a farewell and he growled viciously, demanding answers without saying anything.

"He has agreed to meet with her on two conditions: one, she goes with Iemitsu, and two, neither are armed. It's not that he doesn't trust my Outside Advisor, but he says it will let his men feel more comfortable with letting a stranger meet their boss. They will go now, and meet at the Chiavarone headquarters."

"No."

The Ninth was startled at this flat-out refusal. "No. She's not going unarmed."

"Xanxus, the choice is mine. Besides, I came here to get help and that's what your adoptive father is trying to do."

He blinked. "When'd you figure that out?" he demanded, startled.

I sighed, and omitted the part about the chat program a while back to keep the Ninth from getting suspicious. "You called him old man, as though he were your father, then confirmed it, and since you're not the heir to Vongola that means that either you have a sibling more qualified, which you don't, or there is no blood relation between you and the Ninth."

The latter chuckled. "I see why you recruited her. One hint and she knows it all." He kept laughing quietly to himself and I pulled Xanxus back down, and he simply sat there, sulking. Well, more like fuming silently.

"When should I leave?"

"Go now, and please send your friend back in."

"Very well. Thank you, Ninth." I stood and bowed my head, spinning and slipping out the door. Iemitsu smiled and I grinned quirkily.

"Cloak, go back in. Don't worry if Xanxus get pissed, he knows that if you get hurt he won't get any for a _while_. Iemitsu, we're to leave for the Chiavarone headquarters immediately for me to meet. We're to go completely unarmed, as per Ninth's orders. I assume it's the closest one."

He nodded. "Alright. If I know Dino, it's just to assure his men."

"Something like that."

"Okay! C'mon, little lady. Let's get you to Chiavarone land."

* * *

Woo! We're visiting Dino in the next chapter! Yay!

Not much else to say here... Except... I'm very happy I managed to actually finish a story (The New Recruit). AND I made a sequel (TNRII) OMG I feel so special.

~Panther-chan


	7. Discovery Channel

ANOTHER CHAPTER OMGWTFBBQ.

Not much to say here... I've only gotten one answer to one of the polls, so I won't answer 'em yet. Might even have to wait until the end! And remember to look for the hidden stuff. I hid it for a reason.

~Panther-chan

* * *

"Welcome to the Chiavarone Mansion. If you have any weapons, please leave them with me. When you're disarmed, you'll be brought to the Boss's office."

"Thank you. I don't carry weapons, though. I'm just a strategist."

"A damn smart one, too. One hint and she reconstructed the Ninth's family tree!"

"Sure." The man was being sarcastic, but I ignored it and used the calm aura I had been practicing with Iemitsu's help on the way here.

"This way."

We followed him deeper into the place, passing many hostiles and very few friendlies, who greeted my companion like old friends as we passed by.

After using an elevator to go down two or three floors we were greeted by another friendly.

"Iemitsu! Long time no see, eh?"

"Good to see you again, Romario. How's the boss?"

"He's fine. Recovered from the flu a couple of days ago."

"That's good, that's good. We're here to meet with him, so I'm glad he's not sick anymore."

They shared a laugh, for some reason, and I simply smiled. Romario finally noticed me.  
"Ah, who's this?"

"The Varia's new tactician, and Xanxus' little lady."

"Really."

"Yes." I answered forcefully, getting impatient. He jumped.

"Well… the boss is… waiting."

He opened the door and we went in to see a man in his twenties with blond hair and stunning gold eyes going through paperwork like a machine.

"Dino! Long time no see."

"Ah! Iemitsu!"

The man looked up, startled. He grinned goofily and stood up, striding around his desk to give the other man a bear hug.

After he had regained his seat, I introduced myself. "Nice to meet you. My name's Acer."

"Good to see you. You can just call me Dino."

"Alright."

I grinned, sitting like a normally person instead of like a Mafioso.

"So… you're Xanxus' new girl, eh?"

"I'm hoping this means something." I held up my left hand, with the ring on it.

"Wow." His eyes widened. "He's serious about this one, eh?"

"Yeah. Apparently she can hit him and he won't do anything."

"I can also insult him, dump water on him, throw his scotch out the window, lock him in his room, and sell embarrassing photos of him on the Internet."

The two men looked at me as though I were insane. I smiled and shrugged. "What? It's true."

"I see why she's in the Varia."

"I'm a non-combatant."

"Still. Something happens to you and all of a sudden Xanxus is the destroyer of worlds."

"Probably." I nodded, then laughed. "But I'm not here to discuss my relationship with Xanxus. I'm here to convince you to lay off my friend."

"What's her name?"

"Cassandra Summers, also known as Cloak."

"Hm… Oh, yeah. The doctor. What about her?"

"She felt cornered enough to ask me for help, knowing I'm in the Mafia."

"Shit, that's not good. How about I-"

"I'm not here because she doesn't want to join."

He was silent. I continued.

"I'm here because she felt as though your men were about to resort to force. So, if you agree to a few conditions, she'll feel safe enough to join. They're not much, really."

"Name them." He spoke immediately. "She's a good doctor, almost as good as Shamal, and we need her in the Family."

"First, she gets a period of two months spent as though she were a member before she actually joins."

"I'll agree to that." He nodded, writing it down.

"Second, if she decides not to join for whatever reason you leave her alone completely unless she contacts you. No following her, nothing."

"That one is fine, too. It's not the first time we've found someone like that."

"Thirdly, if she ever wants to leave the Chiavarone Family and join Vongola, you will let her, as long as we are still allies without dispute."

He blinked, then chuckled. "That's pretty reasonable, actually. I was expecting you to demand riches and fame from me."

"I don't need riches: I'm Varia. And I certainly don't need fame. I need to blend in, not draw a spotlight to myself."

He nodded once more, writing something. "Alright. I'll agree to those conditions, since they're so reasonable. We both get what we want, either way. I'll call Timoteo and let him know we've come to an agreement."

"Thank you. I'm sure Cloak will appreciate it."

A moment of silence passed as Dino dialed the Ninth.

"Hey! It's Dino. Everything's great. We've come to an agreement." He glanced at me. "Do you think she'd come here right now?" he asked me, covering the receiver. I blinked, thinking about it for a moment.

"Yeah, if I'm here she will."

"Alright, cool. Yeah, I'm here. Listen, can you send her over here now? I'd like to meet her in person. No, I'll keep her here. Yeah. Alright, thanks. Bye."

He hung up, and turned to Iemitsu.

"You're going back, and you're staying here for a little while longer.

"Xanxus might want to come, too."

"I don't know if he will, but hopefully you'll be able to keep him-"

_Boom._

"Calm." Dino finished, blinking. "What was that?"

"Sir! Xanxus is destroying the front yard!"

I sighed. "That's my cue."

I stood up and walked out the door, walking down the halls we came from and down the elevator until I stepped outside.

"XANXUS!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Plenty of things were on fire, for some reason, and Xanxus looked at me, holding his guns out. He smiled gently and put them back in their holsters, jogging over to me. When he reached me he pulled me into a kiss, holding me tightly.

"Hey." He whispered into my ear, making it tickle.

"Yo. Why'd you come here?"

"To get you."

"And how'd you get here so fast?"

"Flying."

"Flying." I repeated skeptically. He nodded, taking a deep breath and ruffling my hair with his exhale. "Well, why'd you destroy everything?"

"Cause I was pissed."

"About?"

"They're keeping you here, bringing in Cloak, and sending back Iemitsu."

"That was decided about a minute ago."

"I know."

"So, you found out a minute ago and flew here in fifty or sixty seconds?"

"Yeah."

"What did you use to fly?"

"Flames."

"Flames, like fire?"

"No." He twitched. "That's right. You don't know yet."

"Know what?" I asked curiously. He took a few steps back and held up an open fist, and the palm started to glow. It was soon covered in glowing, spinning fire. It was violently captivating, and as I realized that this was what he used to kill people, I looked into his wary eyes, watching as his body tensed for rejection.

"So, I'm guessing that you load your X-guns with these flames to kill, or use them barehanded?"

He blinked. "Yeah. I can also fire them out of my X-guns to fly."

"Hm. Well, at least now I know why people are afraid of you."

His muscles loosened. "You're not?"

"Nope." I smiled. "You've never burned me before and I seriously doubt me knowing about them will make a difference. Besides, they're part of who you are. If I can't accept them then _obviously_ I'm mentally unstable."

He smirked and the flames died down, and he stepped towards me again to wrap his strong arms around me, giving me another passionate kiss.

I smiled into it and when he let me go I gave him a tight, loving hug, sighing.

"So… _who_ is going to pay for the damages done to the Chiavarone mansion?"

"Huh?"

"Don't make me point out the obvious, Xanxus. You know I hate doing that."

He cleared his throat and lifted his head, shouting towards Dino.

"The Varia'll cover the expenses. I'm taking her home."

"Oh no you're not. I'm not done here, mister."

He growled. I growled right back and pulled back a bit to point at him.

"I'm staying here until everything is cleared up, and Cloak is one hundred percent safe!"

I leaned up, standing on my toes to whisper into his ear. "However… after that's done, you're free to do whatever you want with me."

I blew on his ear playfully, wanting to hear him growl. He didn't disappoint and he gripped my waist tighter, but I pulled away anyway and smiled sweetly, walking towards Dino. His warm, rough hand gripped my own, our fingers intertwined, and his other hand was shoved into his pocket and he decided to accompany me into the remaining half of Cavallone's mansion, snarling slightly.

When we reached their Boss, I smiled apologetically. "Sorry about Xanxus laying waste to half your base. I'll contact Mammon and have him find someone to repair everything within a week or less. And I'm sure Xanxus here wouldn't mind footing the bill. Right?"

I turned to look at him, and when he glanced back, eyes smoldering like fire, my knees felt weak. He shrugged, and I sighed, looking away and pulling him along.

* * *

"Thanks, Dino."

"No problem. We both got what we wanted and you managed to keep Xanxus calm. You did more than enough to satisfy my Family!"

I chuckled. "Well, it's not hard. If he's shouting or complaining, I kiss him. If he's pissed, I kiss him. If he gets impatient or rude, I kiss him. It's pretty simple."

"Don't talk like I'm not here." Xanxus snarled, squeezing my hand impatiently. I sighed, waved to Dino, and got into the car driven by Levi.

"Yo." I greeted, giving a peace sign. Surprising both me and Xanxus, he nodded and gave me a small smile.

"Hello, Acer."

I smirked. "Good to see you in a better mood, Sparky."

He blinked spastically. "Sparky?"

"You're Thunder-type. _Duh_."

"Oh. You learned about the Flames, then?"

"Yep."

"This girl is _fucking_ smart. Now get us home."

"Yessir, Boss! Right away!"

I pressed the button to lower the black glass to separate us, winking and making the poor man blush before turning to Xanxus and smiling naughtily.

"We're waiting until we get back to the base, Xanxus. I recall seeing a burst of flame last time and I know what it is now. I don't feel like destroying the car with us in it."

He huffed, crossing his arms. I chuckled at his reaction and sat down beside him, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head on his solid chest.

"I love you." I told him gently.

"M… me too." He muttered his reply, silently snaking his arms around me to hold me closer. He radiated heat, as always, and I now knew why: his inner Flames were compressed into Flames of Wrath, which were more closely related to the Storm Flame than the Sky Flame because of their destruction capability.

"You sure leaving your little friend with Bucking Horse was a good idea?"

"I had him swear by the honor of Cavallone and Chiavarone, and under Omerta, that the conditions would be observed completely and correctly."

"If you say so."

"She'll be fine. Romario will take care of her, no doubt, since Dino seems attached to her."

"Belphegor won't miss her?"

"Dino says that as long as she invites him over and he doesn't cause any damage except to targets build specifically for his fighting style, he can visit whenever he wants."

"Hm. You thought of everything, eh?"

"Yep." I nodded proudly.

He agreed by kissing me fiercely.

* * *

"Mmmmmmm…." I stretched luxuriously, noting that I wasn't nearly as sore as I was after the first few nights without sleep with Xanxus.

"You awake finally?" he asked from his desk, looking over at my lazy form as I flopped back into the endless pillows and deliciously soft quilts.

"No. I'm still asleep. Leave me be."

He chuckled. "Whatever you say."

I sighed blissfully. "Hey, is there a way to tell what Flame attribute I am?"

"We could always find a sensor to test you, or use Delving to check."

"Delving?" I inquired, glancing at his copious amounts of paperwork from the destruction he had caused at the Cavallone base.

"Yeah. When the Flame is used to look inside another person. It's a technique used to fix broken people, check Flames, and to see if someone is a spy or not. It's a lot like mind-reading. It's hard to master, though. You need expert control over your Flame."

"Huh. Sounds interesting."

"Mm."

I heaved another sigh. "You know, I'm kinda hungry."

He blinked and looked up at me. "What do you feel like eating?"

"Hm… Eggs and bacon, and home-style potatoes." I replied, imagining the food and drooling a bit.

"Alright." He picked up the phone and I sat up, surprised that I was actually getting what I wanted. "Trash. Eggs, bacon, home-style potatoes. Now."

He hung up and started writing again. I laughed and flopped back down, snuggling myself into the covers.

"Thanks!" I called out from my crimson safe haven. I didn't hear any reply, so I stayed down.

* * *

As soon as the knock sounded at the door, I leaped up from my chair in one of Xanxus' button-down shirts and my underwear and opened the door, smiling, to see Lussuria in an apron that said, "Kiss the Cook."

"Okay!" I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, always smiling, and grabbed the cart, pulling it into the room.

"Enjoy!" the man cried out happily, waving with a hand on his hip. I gave him a thumbs-up and pushed the cart to beside the bed, then hopped back in and snuggled partway into the covers before rubbing my hands together in excitement and inspecting the first dish: exactly what I wanted.

"Thanks, Xan!"

There was a somewhat awkward silence in the room before he coughed and asked, "'Xan'?"

"Yep! Want some?"

I held out a plate full of differently prepared eggs and he shook his head disbelievingly before standing up from his paperwork and coming over to the bed. He pulled the covers back, kicked of his shoes, and slipped the covers over his legs, carefully pulling me close and burying his nose into the crook of my neck, nuzzling the tender flesh and making me shiver.

"Well, too bad for you. I'm _really_ hungry!"

And I promptly wolfed down all the eggs, sausages, bacon, potatoes, muffins, toast, and fruit in sight. Which was a lot.

"Wow. I haven't been that hungry in a while!" I claimed with a grin, stretching my arms high in the air and feeling my spine arch until it almost hurt. I also heard Xanxus growl deep in his throat, but I ignored it in favor of piling the dishes onto the tray and flopping back into the lush pillows with a content sigh. Xanxus joined me, pulling me closer still and wrapping himself around me, making me curl up into a ball against the cushions. I felt his heartbeat against my back, an odd feeling coming over me as I sighed.

Before long, a comfortably sweltering heat surrounded me, my eyes shut and my mind became muddled with sleep, the feeling of rest covering my limbs and allowing me to relax completely in his arms.

"Sleep…" he murmured, and my breathing slowed and evened out as I complied.

* * *

_Knock, knock._

"Enter."

I was roused from my peaceful slumber when someone knocked at the door and Xanxus replied with his customary snarl, sounding sweet to my ears alone.

The door opened, the only hint a slight brush of carpet against wood, and a quiet voice spoke nervously into the still air.

"Sir… Doctor Shamal is here."

"Send him up, now. Warn him to be fucking quiet. She's still half asleep."

I licked my sleep-dried lips a few times and shifted under the sweltering covers, reaching up to pull them down from where they were over my head, struggling to simply sit up in my sleep-ridden state.

"Xanxus…?" I muttered, wondering why a doctor was here. No one in this room was injured.

"Yeah. I called the best fucking doctor in Italy to give you a check up."

A sleepy smile lit up my face and I stretched lightly, yawning. "Okay." I replied after my yawn had ended, rubbing my eyes gently to get rid of the "morning" fuzziness.

"Heellloooo~! The great Doctor Shamal is here to save you from this vicious beast, dear lady!"

"If you do that, I might kill you."

What surprised him the most was that the words came out of my mouth and not Xanxus's. I beat him to the chase.

"I see… Well then! The Ninth has asked that I act as professional as possible, so I'll try my best because I owe the man a lot. My life, for example."

I smiled humorously, and watched as he walked over and dragged a chair to sit beside my bed, Xanxus watching his every move like a wolf about to pounce.

"So. How are you feeling?"

"Groggy. You woke me up."

"Ah. Sorry about that. Open up."

I licked my lips one more time and opened my mouth as requested.

"You're 19, right?"

"Yep."

"Barely legal…"

"So?"

He blinked at me stupidly and I raised an eyebrow. He shook his head, and continued.

"Right. Well. Blood pressure time."

He wrapped a Kevorkian scarf around my upper arm and a few minutes later, removed it. Then he took out the weird light to check out my ears. I brushed my hair back and held it on the other side, like a ponytail.

"Everything looks fine so far. Blood test?"

"Yes." Xanxus growled viciously. It seemed to bounce off the mature-acting doctor, who took out a needle kit and a gauze pad, along with a rubber tourniquet.

It took only ten minutes to withdraw blood and store it, and before long Shamal was standing up, waving goodbye.

"Hold on." I called out, making the doctor turn slightly, a questioning look on his face. "I'm going to tell you something, and you have to swear on Omerta and doctor-patient confidentiality you will tell _no one_ unless I say it's alright, or unless it's a life-threatening emergency."

His face became grave immediately, despite his slightly disheveled appearance, and he nodded, held a hand above his heart and swore, "I, Trident Mosquito Shamal, swear by Omerta and the order of confidentiality between doctor and patient that the following will not be repeated unless under an emergency situation, otherwise without your express permission."

I nodded, content with the oath, and took a deep breath. "I'm actually Togatta Yoshime."

His eyes widened considerably and he gulped, suddenly nervous. "Really now. The Ninth told us to warn him if we caught wind of you, but I'll hold fast to my oath. The secret's safe with me. Why, though?"

"Why did I tell you?"

He nodded.

"For the sake of medical accuracy. Now you know whose records to access, and about any genetic problems that might pop up."

He seemed to think about it for a moment. "You're right. It would be helpful to have that on hand. As soon as these tests are done, I'll contact you and-"

Xanxus practically roared for him to leave, and the man scuttled out, shutting the door behind him. I scoffed at the reaction and turned to Xanxus.

"So. Now that we've got a few hours on hand, what shall we do?"

His response was swift as he pinned me to the bed with a rough, passionate kiss. However, we were interrupted by another knock at the door, which made Xanxus's eyes narrow in anger.

"By the way…" we heard someone shout through the muffling door. "You might want to take care of all those bruises. I can guess what they're from, knowing him, but others might get the wrong idea."

"Shamal, I think you should leave now. Before Xanxus kills you."

"Right."

Silence reigned for a few moments before a hand ran up underneath my shirt, teasing the flush skin and making me moan in pleasure.

The interruption was soon forgotten.

* * *

Lol, poor Shamal is nearly killed every time he visits them... But, he had to know. He comes in handy, you know, with those awesome medical skills and the mosquitoes and... well, he provides comic relief sometimes, too, I guess...

Ho-hum...

~Panther-chan

P.S: Woo! The New Recruit II won't be that long, either, but that's because each chapter is about 3,000 words... Not including the pre- and post-notes. Anyhoo! Hope I make it past ten chapters, but if I don't, then... whatever!


	8. To Infinity, and Beyond!

Woo, another chapter! I was pretty busy in school the past week and a half or so, but I managed to upload this stuff here anyway. Enjoy!

~Panther-chan

* * *

The next few days passed in a blur of rest, relaxation, chatting with Cloak, sleeping with Xanxus, and "sleeping" with Xanxus, and when it was time for us to leave to go back to the US, it was an understatement to say that Xanxus wouldn't let me go.

He actually _would_ _not_ let me go. He had one arm wrapped around my waist, the other trapping my arms at my sides, and his face was nuzzled into my neck as I simply stood there waiting for help, my face expressionless at the rarity of PDA from Xanxus, of all people.

"Uh, guys? A little help? I gotta get going. Like, now."

Everyone but Squalo, Lussuria, Levi, and Bel fled like pigeons (stupidly), and I sighed, deciding to try reason again.

"Xanxus, I need to go to school to get my degrees to pretend around non-Mafiosos that I'm normal. And the smarter I am, the more likely others are to accept me. And-"

"No." he interrupted, making me huff and, finally, resort to violence. I bowed my head forward, deeply, and rammed it back as fast as I could, almost breaking his nose and feeling him let me go with a short, "Shit!"

"I warned you to let me go, Xanxus!"

A quick flash of sheer rage passed through his features, and I finally thought to myself, _This is it. I went too far. He's gonna kill me now._

But, surprising all involved, one look at my face –frightened by his rage- and he calmed, clenching his eyes shut and his hand leaving his nose to show no visible damage.

"Sorry. But I really have to go. Cloak is waiting."

His eyes didn't open, and as the room was vacated by all, including the other Officers, he sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"You really want to leave, huh?"

His voice held its usual gruffness, but something in his posture told me he was expecting this, expecting me to want to leave, first chance I got.

"If I had a choice, I'd go back in time and have my school built in Italy. But I don't, which means you'll have to come to America with me. Assuming you actually want to…?" I made an expression between confusion and worry, and his eyes opened to stare at me, red meeting gray for a fleeting moment before we were right back where we started.

He refused to let me go, and he ended up carrying me to the car, drove me to the airport, ordered someone on the phone to come and get his fucking car, and carried me onto _Apollo_, where Cloak was waiting.

As soon as we boarded the plane Xanxus disappeared, probably into the bar or his room to drink in peace, and I found Cloak sitting in front of one of the huge TVs scattered throughout the plane, watching _No Country for Old Men._

"Yo."

"Hey."

I sat down beside her. A few minutes passed by in comfortable silence save for the movie, and I finally asked a question that had been bugging me for a while.

"Are you happy?"

"Huh?"

She blinked at me, or maybe a wink, I couldn't tell, and I sighed.

"I have the power to make you happy, and I want to make sure I'm using it properly."

"Yeah… yeah, I am. Dino seems like a great boss, and the other members are friendly. And, we're allies. We're heading back to America now, I know how much my best friend trusts me, I feel pretty damn safe right now, and I got a cat. I'm great."

"You got a cat?"

"Yeah… Dagger. She's white."

"I should've seen that one coming…"

We shared a laugh at the comic book reference, but I realized something essential. "Wait. Did you not feel safe before?"

"…No. I do now though, and I am. Dino said he'd have his men posted at the college."

"Why didn't you feel safe?"

"Because…" She bit her lip. "Well… I used to be in a gang. It was a mistake." She sighed, and ran her fingers through her hair, almost revealing her hidden eye by accident. "I was young and stupid, I was alone! I didn't have anywhere else to go. And… they took me in."

Her voice petered out to nothing. My eyes narrowed dangerously, seeing it all mapped out in my head.

"Now they're chasing you, trying to lynch you for leaving… the works." I thought back to our time in college, trying to find anything suspicious, and remembered the time we went to Subway, only to meet a crazed worker. She was indecisive. Did that have something to do with it? _Maybe she was told to lure me somewhere... Heh. I'm glad she didn't._

"…"

The girl beside me remained silent and I paused the movie, reaching over to grab her shoulder. "Have you told Dino?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now I'm going to tell Vongola to watch out for this gang. If they play in a way you or I don't like, they're gone. Okay?"

Her eyes widened slightly at the amount of concern in my voice, and the sheer power I was presenting on a silver platter to her, simply because she was like my sister.

"Uh… r-right."

* * *

I stretched luxuriously as we stepped off the plane, quite a few people waiting for us to drive us to Harvard. On the way, Cloak reminded me that we left Jacki behind and I called her, wanting to make sure she was doing okay.

"Yo, Jacki! Sup?"

"Acer."

I winced at the tone of voice she was transmitting over the phone. I covered the receiver, and turned to Cloak.

"She's pissed." I whispered. I uncovered the phone, and grimaced as I spoke.

"Yes?"

"Where the fuck are you?"

Her voice was low, dangerous. It almost scared me: it was as though I were talking to a very angry Xanxus, before we got together, slightly lessened.

"On my way to Harvard."

"Where is Cloak?"

"She's right beside me. We're in a car."

"Why the fucking hell didn't you tell me you were Vongola, you piece of shit?"

I blinked. Did she just call me a piece of shit? After asking why I didn't tell her I was in Vongola?

"Did you just insult my Family, Jacqueline?" I growled, eyes narrowing. I saw Cloak and the driver shiver madly, but I ignored it.

"No. I asked why you didn't tell me you were a fucking Vongola."

"Because I saw no reason to. Why the hell didn't you tell me you knew who the fuck the Vongola Family is?"

"Because I had no reason to."

My eye twitched, and I suddenly realized how cold the car was as we pulled over to let Cloak and the driver exit. I noticed Cloak talking on her phone, but I concentrated on my conversation.

"If you continue to anger me like this, Jacqueline, I won't be able to guarantee your safety. My... ah, significant other has anger management issues, and always seems to know when I'm pissed. And you know what? He's in the car behind me. Actually, I think he wishes to speak with you."

I handed the phone over with an uncontrolled smile on my face, feeling so angry I wanted to smash something. The phone was plucked from my grasp and I heard Xanxus speak.

"I don't care who the hell you are. You're fucking scum, and if you don't shut the fuck up and stop insulting Vongola I'll kill you. Understand, trash?"

Cloak slipped back into the car, gripping my arm. "I dunno what you're doing to make it so cold, but please stop." She whispered while carefully pulling my arm towards the door, and I exited the car with that smile still on my face. Everyone around me except Xanxus took a step back from the insanity I seemed to get from Belphegor, and finally, my boss hung up, handing me back my phone.

"Thank you."

"Thank me when she fucking keeps her mouth shut."

He slipped into the car, signaling for Cloak to go to the other one. I gave her a slight nod and she sighed, walking over to the second vehicle.

"Explain." I demanded, crossing my arms and staring at him.

"That fucktard is a Boss-apparent for the Benjamin Family, located in the US. She's to be the Fourth."

"And?"

"They're our fucking enemies."

"Why?"

"Because they keep trying to destroy us to show their strength."

"Why haven't we killed them off yet?"

My voice held a cold glint, and Xanxus's eyes narrowed.

"We didn't fucking bother. They're small fry."

"I want them to know not to mess with Vongola."

He blinked, then smirked and undid my seatbelt, pulling me into his chest and stroking my hair. "Same here, girl."

I sighed, feeling all my anger ebb as the heat radiating off Xanxus lulled me to a comfortable doze, a slight smile on my face.

"You know…"

I opened one eye at his husky tone as he whispered into my ear.

"We could just forge the documents."

"Nuh-uh…" I shook my head weakly, insisting I wanted to do it on my own power. I felt more than heard him sigh and I smiled, rubbing my hand gently over his chest. "I wanna do this."

"Fine. But I'm getting that fucking Benjamin out of there."

I winced. "I don't get it, though. How did she find out I was in the Mafia?"

"Benjamin spies are fucking intelligent bastards that like to sneak around in invisibility suits."

I blinked, and tried to shift away from him to sit up, but he wouldn't allow it. I let myself fall back onto him, sighing quietly.

"At least let me find out how she knows."

"Fine."

I smiled childishly at the note of acceptance in his voice and nuzzled my cheek into the warm flesh, purring. He stroked my hair and held my hand, and maybe he copied my smile, but either way, it was a pleasant ride.

* * *

As soon as we exited the vehicle Jacki came marching up to me, anger scrawled over her face. I took a step back in surprise, and hit Xanxus, who had followed me. My friend's eyes widened in terror and she slowed to a halt, whiter than snow.

"Jacki?" I called out hesitantly. I received no answer, so I looked over to Cloak and gave her a nod. She returned the gesture and as I called out to Jacki again, the dark-haired girl walked up to her side and grabbed her shoulder, making her jump. Her eyes never left Xanxus, but he didn't move. I could tell he was scowling, though, because of the crowds we were attracting.

More and more people gathered around us, some looking none too friendly, and just I was about to suggest we leave or go inside something flashed in my peripheral vision. I sprinted forward towards Jacki, following my instincts, and tackled her startled and terrified form to the ground just as three bullets whizzed past me, and another hit me in the lower back. I could feel the flesh separate in slow motion to let the metal pass, and I bit back a scream, feeling blood pool on my clothes.

_Shit… must have hit an artery. It's not my spine… good._

I heard Xanxus roar behind me, but the sound was dulled, as though I was wearing ear plugs. Two hands were on my back, probably inspecting the wound, and I was pulled off Jacki, who had recovered enough to shout some orders.

"…ACER!"

I winced at the loud noise. It sounded like Cloak. She was a doctor, wasn't she? Good. Maybe she's gotten the bullet out.

Something hit me in the shoulder, and another in the thigh. Pain wracked my body and I screamed bloody murder, trying to get up to run or fight or just make the pain _stop_.

Suddenly, everything was silent. Underneath my hands, I could feel the ground. It was freezing cold.

For some reason, the pain eased completely, leaving me feel free and light. I stood up with some difficulty, for some reason feeling off-balance, and looked around me to see only white.

There were different shades: some looked darker than others, and soon I could make out shapes. They differentiated themselves from each other using shades of gray, and I realized after a few minutes that I was in an Arctic landscape.

"What… the fuck?"

I glanced over my shoulder, seeing no one, and turned around, trying to spot a living being.

**"You have returned."**

I whipped around to face the thing that spoke. It looked like a moving mountain, and it definitely wasn't human. No one could possibly be that huge.

**"It is a sad reunion, though. I mourn for your unknown loss, child."**

"Unknown loss? What the hell are you talking about? Where is this?"

I tried to tell myself to stay calm, but none of this was making sense and I could feel myself losing blood, and with it, the strength to stay standing.

**"Return to yourself. Your Family waits for you with baited breath."**

The shape started to blend in with the surroundings, soon becoming snow like the rest. I sighed, and shut my eyes, feeling weak. I remained standing for as long as I could, feeling like if I fell too soon I would never get up again.

At one point, though, it became too much to bear and I collapsed, unconscious.

* * *

I blinked my eyes open, reaching up to rub them. They felt scratchy and rough, almost like they had sand in them, and it annoyed me. There was something pulling on my arms, though, and it hurt, so I tried to sit up to see them but I was too weak to even lift my head.

I sighed, feeling something on my face as well, and let my eyes fall shut again. I would just rest a little while. No need to struggle when I was obviously safe. Xanxus had probably taken me to a hospital, or better yet, home, after I got shot. Maybe he even got Shamal to fix me up a bit.

Whatever it was, I'm sure my Family would take care of me until my strength returned. For now… I think… I'll just…

Rest.

* * *

I blinked my eyes open once more, and this time they didn't hurt, and I didn't feel any sand-like consistencies on them. I still sensed the thing on my face, though, and a few things pulling on my arms a bit. It annoyed me, just like last time, so I sat up, finally feeling strong enough, and rubbed my eyes carefully to be able to see.

There were IV's in my arms, the needles not affecting me and the tape pulling at my skin. That must have been what I felt. I reached up to my face and felt some kind of mask over my nose and mouth.

Just as I pulled it off I heard a bang from my right, about ten feet away, and I glanced up, surprised to see Jacki. Wasn't she some kind of enemy? What about my Family, then? Had she hurt them?

Her eyes were wide, and though her mouth moved I didn't hear her: I was concentrating on the feeling coming from the back of my head. It was annoying, but barely noticeable unless I looked for it. It felt like there was a raw egg running down my skull, but when I reached back to feel it, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

I concentrated on the odd feeling as hard as I could in my weakened state, and my left hand became covered in an ice that came out of seemingly nowhere.

There were footsteps coming from where Jacki had been standing a moment ago, and after a moment Cloak was at my side, a hand on my forehead and some kind of pad in the crease of my elbow.

I felt something prick me, and as soon as I became drowsy I knew that she had tranquilized me. I didn't know why, and I couldn't bring myself to care. But she was Family, and that's all that mattered.

* * *

I opened my eyes, sitting up immediately, feeling… _alive_. There was a mysteriously cold energy running through me, making me want to get up and just _run_ and never stop. But I knew I couldn't. I wanted to see Xanxus first. How long had I been asleep? Was the Family okay? What about Cloak and Jacki? And what was this cold feeling around my arms, like icy water?

I looked down to see the same IV's, but no mask was on my face when I checked. I saw my hands and turned them over, for some reason thinking they should be different. They were the same as I remembered, but they felt cold.

Another noise came from my right and two arms, so hot it almost hurt, wrapped around me, pulling me close to a veritable furnace. I felt my body restart, and I started to breath, only just realizing I hadn't been before. My breath ghosted in front of me, making me wonder why it was so cold. I didn't feel the cold so much as sensed it, and it made me feel more secure, like I was home.

"Xan…"

I forced the syllable out of my throat, and it hurt almost as much as the bullet hitting my arm. I still said it, though I couldn't complete the word. It didn't matter: Xanxus responded, petting my hair roughly and saying something I couldn't quite hear, but it sounded nice. Maybe he was greeting me, or telling me he loved me.

A hand was placed on my back, and though it wasn't as hot as Xanxus, it burned me, and my back arched instinctively away from it, wanting to protect itself from the fire. I felt the arms tightened around me and pull me away from whoever had burned me, and my throat hurt even more, and felt raw, as though I had screamed. But I didn't hear it, so maybe it was all in my head.

Another hand, cool but not cold, was placed on my forehead and something poked against my lips. It felt like metal, so I refused. Xanxus's hand, so hot yet so comforting, cupped my face and his thumb served to push my lower jaw down just a bit, enough for the thin, pencil-like object to slip under my tongue. I didn't resist this time, knowing that Xanxus wished only the best for me.

Soon, something pricked my arm again, and I fell asleep in my lover's arms, a small smile gracing my features.

* * *

AAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! Cliff-hanger. What's gonna happen next? OMGWTFBBQHYPERNESSI'

Dramatic monologue was SO FREAKING HARD TO WRITE. But, I think I just got another 90% in my English class, so it's all gravy.

Gravy. Mm..

Oh yeah! My history teacher (he's in the Black Watch, and I think that's part of the Canadian Peace Corps.) brought in these military field rations things and they were FREAKING AWESOME. Except the bread. It turns out that it was compressed, and it expanded in my stomach and made me miss dinner because I was already full.

Ah, well.

~Panther-chan


	9. Monster In Your Closet

Okay, this chapter goes to all the people who reviewed! Guys and girls, you should thank MangaFreak3. Their review sent me a generated email and it motivated me to put up another chapter. BE THANKFUL. I think I need to edit the title of this chapter. Brb.

This one will be JUST A BIT shorter than the others, just because I felt like it. Kinda like I felt like walking 12 miles after biking for 14 to get home, just because I didn't feel like taking the bus. Just because I felt like it.

Ya know?

~Panther-chan

* * *

What felt like barely a day later, I woke up completely, IV's still in my arms. I immediately pulled them out, feeling nauseous at the thought of something being shoved into my bloodstreams, and turned around to set my feet on the floor, feeling the cold pulsate around me like a living being.

"Hello?" I croaked lowly, barely hearing my own voice. It didn't hurt, though, and that reassured me. I cleared my throat a few times and tried again.

"Hello?" I repeated, louder. I massaged my knees gently, trying to regain feeling in my legs, and rolled my shoulders after that. I managed to get myself standing up just as the door opened, and the creak of the hinges, the brush of wood against linoleum… I sensed it all. It was like I was hyperaware of the world around me, and it gave me a headache for just a moment before everything returned to normal.

"Togatta. You're awake again."

"Shamal?"

I rubbed my eyes, feeling the familiar sandy texture from sleep. I opened them again to see him taking cautious steps towards me. My body took control over my mind and I stepped back, but he reached his hand forward and held out a phone.

"Here. Take it." He murmured lowly, like he was talking to a wild animal. That's exactly what I felt like at the moment, but I took the phone anyway and put it to my ear.

"Togatta?"

"Xanxus?"

"You're awake…"

His voice was breathy, like it didn't have substance of any sort, or like he was in shock. I cleared my throat again, and spoke.

"Xanxus, what happened?"

"Is Shamal there?"

"Yeah…"

"Ask him if you were moved."

I blinked, but obeyed, covering the mouth piece. I looked up at the cautious Shamal, and asked him, "Was I moved?"

"No."

"He says I wasn't." I repeated to Xanxus.

"Good. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Where are you?"

"Canada."

"Where am I?"

"Italy."

"Oh."

"Togatta."

"Yes?"

"… I love you."

"I love you too."

"Then don't ever do that again."

There was a click, and the call ended. I looked up at Shamal, feeling a lot calmer than before after hearing that Xanxus was on his way. No doubt he would fly over using the Varia's jet, _Apollo_, because of the distance. I took a step forward and, feeling more and more strength return to my legs, I felt my lungs start to work again and I breathed inward with an odd feeling, as though it weren't really needed, and held out the phone. Shamal relaxed with me and took it, putting it in his pocket and closing the distance just enough to put his hand on my forehead. He smiled reassuringly, and gestured towards the bed.

"Your temperature seems to have reached a normalcy, and your wounds have healed. Everything seems to be in order. You need a bit more rest, though."

"What happened?"

He winced ever so slightly, and looked at his over his shoulder. "I think it's best the Ninth and Xanxus answer that."

"What about Jacki and Cloak?"

"Those two are just fine. Benjamin the Fourth has gone back to America with her Family for now, and Cloak is currently residing in the Cavallone base."

I nodded, noting the way he said the Fourth, but suddenly felt very tired. It wasn't that bone-deep, chilling, deathly exhaustion that I had felt the last two times, but a normal tiredness that demanded a few hours of sleep.

"May I rest?" I muttered, my words slurring slightly.

"Hold on just a moment. I need to take a blood sample, but after that, go ahead."

Something pricked my arm, and the weirdest thing happened: I could feel some of the coldness that invaded my body seeping out with a slight amount of energy, as though my body was recognizing the fact that blood was being taken and telling my brain and nervous system that very fact.

Moments later, I was asleep once more.

* * *

I awoke once again to the sound of four heartbeats very close to me. It was startling to hear them with such clarity and I sat up, blinking in the bright light. Half a second later two arms were wrapped around me again, and it could only be Xanxus: only he was so hot it would hurt, but didn't. Like it was a protective fire instead of a destructive one.

Two seconds after that, one cool hand was on my forehead and another of the same set in the crook of my left arm. One second after that, someone had a cold compress set against the back of my neck, and zero point seven seconds later the door opened to reveal the Ninth, Iemitsu, and Tsuna.

By now, my freakish hearing had abated and everything - except for the unnatural cold that felt so natural to me - was normal.

"Acer? How are you feeling?" the Ninth asked quietly, sitting on a chair in front of me. I heard his voice in perfect clarity, like a shard of ice traveling through air to give me a message. His breath, along with everyone else's. ghosted in front of him.

"…Fine." I replied quietly after a moment, not feeling any pain or soreness of any kind.

"Good, good. Shamal has tested your blood, and everything seems fine. Not normal, but fine. You remember Iemitsu and Tsunayoshi, correct?"

I glanced at the two, who were clearly worried about something (me, most likely), and nodded.

"Good. They're just here to check up on you, and Iemitsu will use Delving to test your Flame. Is that alright with you?"

Another nod and the Ninth smiled gently at me. Again, I got the feeling that it would be so easy to simply depend on him, to let him help me…

And this time, he wasn't hiding anything. Right now, I was Family to him, and so he helped me without holding back. It wasn't like that first meeting, where I wasn't Family, I was someone to be collected: now I was Family, I was his son's lover, and if I needed help by God he'd probably kill anyone that got in the way of my recovery.

I could sense all this, and I realized, it was true. Family really was more important than anything else.

I shut my eyes as a fingertip was pressed gently against my forehead. This hand was the only one that had a normal human heat, and the thought comforted me and my mind shut down temporarily to allow Iemitsu access to my Flame.

* * *

I was standing in that same snowy place, except now everything was clear as day right from the beginning and there was some sort of castle of ice in front of me. Iemitsu was by my side and with a jolt I realized I was completely naked. I looked down, only to realize that that was a false assessment: I wasn't naked, merely covered in something so white it was the tone that my skin currently held. I glanced up at the man beside me to see his amazement plain as day.

_Iemitsu?_

_Yes?_

His mouth moved, yet oddly enough, his voice was transmitted directly to my mind.

_Is this where my Flame is?_

_It should be in there, but I'm not sure I'll be able to enter._

_Delving can be used to see thoughts, right?_

_Yes…_

_Okay. Since it's my Flame, I'll no doubt be able to enter. You leave and watch from the outside: I'll do my best to remember everything, and think it over so you can see it._

_Sounds like a plan._

He smiled, and shut his eyes, fading until there was nothing left of the man. I sighed, nodded to myself, and walked up to the castle only to see the rough stone doors open wide for me, like a gaping maw.

* * *

After wandering through this frozen castle of mine for what felt like hours, my journey came to an end in front of a door covered in chains and ice. As soon as I touched it, though, they all melted away or fell to the ground. With a gentle push the door was opened to reveal a Flame I could barely see: it was almost clear, tinted white, and edged in a deep blue. Around it, in flame-like patterns, was ice that coated the walls and floor, yet didn't hurt when I stepped on it. I tried my absolute best to ingrain it all in my head and hope that Iemitsu could see it, too, and I reached out a hand to touch the Flames, feeling a cold so powerful radiating off the Flames that it froze my hand solid. Yet, I could still move the appendage and it didn't hurt. I could only assume that was because the Flame was a part of me, and tried to imagine that… _thing_ made of ice that had appeared the last time.

**"If you wish for me to appear, you simply need to ask. There's no need to go through a ceremony to summon me, child."**

A swirling tendril of ice vapor wrapped around my hand like a mitten, then around my wrist, my arm, my shoulder, and my torso. It kept moving until I was completely covered with it, and I felt safe, almost whole.

**"You do not yet know of your loss… We will not be able to speak for a long time after this meeting. I will tell you know, and pray you will remember. You have my sympathies and my strongest apologies for your loss. However, you must move on and keep living. For if you linger, so too will your precious Family."**

The mist solidified until it was ice, and I could feel the cold seep into my flesh, residing under my skin.

**"I have given you full authority over our powers. Now, you must go. Return to the outside world, and leave the Inner World to me."**

* * *

WHO DA FUCK WASSAT?

Just because I feel like it, I'm putting in an omake.

* * *

Panther-chan: Hey Xanxus, Togatta. I can call you Togatta, right?

Acer: Of course. You're my creator, after all.

Panther-chan:... I don't like that smile, Acer.

Acer: Oh, my apologies. I'm quite used to dealing with idiotic men as of late.

Xanxus: Fuck off.

Panther-chan: Oh? Problems with the Fire and Ice couple?

Acer: Not quite. Just some irritating pieces of scum that wouldn't shut up.

Panther-chan:... I don't like that smile, either... Shark!

Shark: WHAT?

Xanxus & Acer: What the fuck? Squalo?

Shark: FUCK OFF! I'M NOT THAT FUCKING NOOB! LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE, BASTARDS!

Panther-chan: Wolf! I'm lonely...

Wolf: My apologies, ma'am. I will never leave your side again.

Panther-chan:... Wolf.

Wolf:... Ma'am.

*hug*

Eagle: That's just weird.

Xanxus & Acer: *gone*

Panther-chan: Hey! Where'd they go?

Eagle: I'm not sure... But I'm leaving, too. It's getting weird in here. Later.

Shark: Fuck this, I'm outta here!

Panther-chan:... Boomer?

Boomer: **What do ya need, cat?**

Panther-chan: Those two think they can get away from me. Prove them wrong, please.

Boomer: **Sure thing, Kitty! BIRDY! FISH! GET YOUR ASSES BACK HERE BEFORE I TEAR YOU A NEW ONE!**

Eagle & Shark: YESSIR!

Panther-chan:... Somehow, this went from an interview to a series of everyday events... Oh well. I'll lock them in with some of the Ninth's Zero-Point ice next time. Laters!


	10. The Frozen Heart of the Varia

YO, YO, YO~

Guess who's back with ANOTHER CHAPTER?

Yeah, this one might be shorter too, but that's because the series going to end soon. I might put in a preview for The New Recruit III: Cryogenics, but it depends on when I finish that one. Lol. Remember, if there are any loose ends or things you don't get, tell me now so I can explain them clearly and properly in TNRIII!

~Panther-chan

* * *

I opened my eyes just in time to see Iemitsu stumble backwards, only to be caught by his startled son, and then all heat left my body to be replaced by a tingling energy that left me cold, yet not numb. I looked around to see a baby, Shamal, Xanxus, Iemitsu, and Tsuna waiting on me with apprehensive looks.

"I think my Flame is frozen, but… I'm not sure." I said, blinking slowly.

"A frozen Flame?" Shamal questioned.

"Yeah, it's possible. There are more than just the seven mains types, though the others are a lot rarer." I looked over at the baby with a fedora, but he remained unrecognizable. I had never seen him before. "Hey, Acer. You think you can turn off all this ice now? It's getting pretty cold."

I looked around after nodding to the baby, just now noticing that everything had frozen over. I took a deep breath, shut my eyes, and concentrated on the weird feeling in the back of my head, trying to let it expand and melt the ice. I felt a cold sensation running down my neck, then my shoulders and arms, and as it retreated the temperature returned to normal.

"Thanks."

I nodded again, opening my eyes.

"Sorry to rush off, but… this needs to be reported to the Ninth. Come on, son."

The father and son left, but not before giving me two matching looks of sympathy. This confused me somewhat: then I remembered what the ice creature had said. I had his sympathies for my unknown loss…?

"How are you feeling, Togatta?"

I raised my eyebrows at the baby, then glanced at Shamal, who shrugged. "It was an emergency. You can trust Reborn, either way."

I sighed. "I'm feeling a bit weird. Everyone keeps giving me these sympathetic looks, but for what? Because I got shot? That shouldn't be anything new to Mafiosos. And there's this weird _cold_ around me, like it's under my skin, but it's not numbing. Is that my Flame?"

"Most likely, your Flame surfaced to protect… um… Xanxus, maybe you should…?"

Realizing that he hadn't spoken nor moved until now, a slight nod from the man sent the other two out of the room, and then, it was just me and him.

"Xanxus?" I questioned, confused.

"When you were shot, the bullet… went through the area right underneath your stomach, and hit… it…"

He clenched his teeth, hard, and his eyes shut tight, his hands clenching into fists. "It hit the baby."

Silence reigned as I was shocked beyond belief. Baby? What baby?

"What…?" I muttered, my vision blurring slightly as it became unfocused.

"You were three weeks pregnant. The bullet killed the fetus."

I blinked slowly, trying to comprehend what had just been revealed. I was pregnant without knowing, then the growing fetus was killed before it was even fully formed by a bullet meant to kill me?

My hand strayed to my stomach, feeling a slight bump of scar tissue right about where my uterus was. "Then… Where is it?"

"Shamal removed it as soon as you were in the hospital." he muttered in response. I heaved a sigh, trying to think calmly. The bed shifted as Xanxus sat down beside me, holding me close while my eyes became misty. I refused to cry, though. Crying did nothing except relieve pent-up emotions, and I didn't have very many of those at the moment.

"What now?"

"The Family responsible has been destroyed. I made sure of it. The Benjamin Family called a temporary truce because of the situation, and volunteered to get rid of the members of the allied Families while we took care of the perpetrators."

"I meant, what now, as in… will I return to the Varia? What's happening to me?"

"For now, you're coming back with me."

I sat still, trying to absorb everything at once. "Xanxus."

"Hm?"

He had buried his face in the crook of my neck again, taking deep breaths. "How… how long was I asleep?"

"…" A slight shiver ran through his muscles, and he took a sharp intake of breath. "Too long."

"How many months? Or years?"

"9 months."

I blinked owlishly. Had that much time really passed? I wrapped my arms tightly around him, nuzzling my face into his chest.

"I'm sorry. It must have hurt you."

He nodded against my skin, his breath tickling me slightly. The sensation of relief flooded through me: he wouldn't have acted in such a way if he had moved on, right?

"I can't believe it. I missed my own twentieth birthday."

"Almost missed your twenty-first, too."

"Really? What's the date?"

"December 29th."

"Huh. Guess I almost did miss it."

"Hm."

"Can we go home soon?"

"Yeah. We can go now."

I sighed, smiling slightly, and nodded. He swept me into the air and put me down carefully on his chair, went into the bathroom, and returned with a suitcase full of clothes.

"Take your pick… Lussuria went wild."

I grinned and picked out a white collared shirt and dark blue cashmere sweater, and a soft, long black skirt.

"Well, at least he knows what I like." I commented, slipping off the hospital gown and reaching into the suitcase for what would hopefully be a fitting bra and some underwear from my room in the mansion.

I heard a growl from beside me and smirked. "Xanxus, I don't think the hospital would appreciate that very much at all."

"I don't give a fuck."

He grabbed me around the hips and pulled my still naked form to him, his lips smashing against my own in an almost desperate way.

I dropped the unused and now unneeded clothes to the floor as he pushed me into the surprisingly comfortable bed, but I placed my hands on his chest, pushing him away slightly.

"Xanxus, I swear if you don't stop now you won't get any at home either."

He snarled, eyes almost glowing in wanton desire and need, but stopped, simply staring at me, confused.

"I don't think… I _can_ just yet. I still feel pretty damn weak, and I want to go home."

He blinked, then pushed himself off the bed from where he had been hovering over me and picked up my clothes, silently handing them to me. I sat up, worried. "Xanxus? Is something wrong?"

"No. I'm just a fucking idiot. You just woke up and all I can think about are my own fucking needs."

I sighed, sensing that he needed some time to think, and kneeled on the bed to pull on my underwear and then my bra, followed by the clothes picked out by the Varia's Sun guardian.

I slipped off the bed and placed my cold feet on the floor, taking a few hesitant steps before stumbling slightly. Xanxus caught me, and held me close once more, a deep breath ripping through him and making him shudder.

"I'm never letting you out of my fucking sight again."

I simply nodded, wrapping my thinned arms around his waist and squeezing as tightly as I could.

* * *

As soon as we arrived home Belphegor came racing out of the mansion, Lussuria a close second with Squalo and Levi behind them, at a much calmer pace. Belphegor tackled me with a bear hug, crying out.

"The Prince missed you!"

I chuckled, hugging him back. "Yeah, I could tell."

Not a moment after he let go, Lussuria gave him his special hug, squealing. "Oh my God, you got so skinny! I must make a _huge _meal and nourish you back to _perfect_ health!"

"Voi. What took ya so long to recover?" Squalo grinned at me, giving me a one-armed hug. I was content with that much, knowing he wasn't exactly an emotional guy, and smiled up at my big brother, happy to be home.

"I got shot, and my Flame had some issues or something. But I'm home now!"

"Acer."

I looked over at Levi, who immediately kneeled down and started to bow repeatedly, hitting his head on the ground like a madman.

"I'm so sorry! I should have been there to stop the bullets! Because of my absence you were injured and lost the… I'M SORRY!"

"Levi! It's okay, really! Stop _doing_ that!" I waved my arms frantically, racing over to make him stop. After a few tries, Squalo told me to leave him be, and that he'd come back inside after a while. I sighed, seeing no other options, and followed the shark into the mansion where Mammon jumped into my arms without a word, simply staying there.

"If you do that again, I'm doubling your debt." I smiled at the words, hugging him tightly as I walked with a careful and slow pace into my home.

Mammon promptly refused to leave my arms and I smiled as I sat down on one of the couches in the common room, watching everyone come and go in their duties as either Varia or a servant of Varia. At one point Belphegor came in and sat next to me, just smiling at me, then presented a chess set.

"Would the Queen like to play?" The smile never left my face as I nodded and shifted so I was facing the Prince on the couch, and he gave me the black set, allowing me to move first.

As the game progressed Lussuria joined us and started feeding me, though at one point it got a bit annoying and I took the food from a plate he refused to let go of. Squalo came in, too, and sat on the couch opposite me, watching me and Bel play an almost evenly matched game. Soon enough the second to last Officer was there, and Levi started to read in one of the recliner chairs.

At one point Lussuria got up and started a fire, draping a blanket over my shoulders and sitting on one of the other chairs, reclining comfortably with a fluffy yellow blanket covering him almost completely.

Belphegor and I played a few more rounds, but just when I started to become drowsy, the Prince swiped the whole thing off the couch without misplacing a single piece and placed it on the floor, then raced out of the room to return with a silky crimson blanket and sat back down on the couch, grinning.

"It's time for the Queen to rest! The Prince will keep her company, yes?"

"Yeah." I grinned back, happy to be home with my family.

* * *

That's what Xanxus came home to: Squalo sprawled out on a couch, snoring like a freight train, Levi (muttering nonsense) and Lussuria in recliner chairs, and me and Belphegor sharing a couch with our feet in the center, and Mammon still in my grasp, much like a teddy bear. We were all asleep, but as the door creaked open I awoke, looking over the back of the couch to see him with an eyebrow raised at the sight. Suddenly, a mischievous grin lit up his face and he motioned for me to be quiet, and still. He left, returning moments later with a digital camera, and I shared his smile, laying back down carefully. Two clicks reverberated gently through the room, and he stuffed the poor thing in his pocket. I shifted, waking Belphegor, who looked up as well and silently transferred himself to another couch, allowing Xanxus to take his place with me.

He gently picked me up and sat on the couch, laying me down in his lap, leaning against his solid frame with the gray blanket draped over me. Before long I dozed off again to his steady heartbeat, smiling as sleep overcame me.

* * *

Wow. She's become the heart of the Varia, huh?

Well, anyway, time to answer the two poll/questions.

1) Squalo told her she was fragile because he considers her to be a civilian at that point. Yes, he is indeed the most human of the Varia in terms of compassion, but it was also because he was legitimately worried about her. Also, he knew that she would need to toughen up to survive properly in the Varia, so he tried to shock her into realizing her own mortally to get her to improve herself.

2) Cloak is in America because her Flame felt Togatta/Acer's Flame, which is frozen. In case you haven't guessed as much, the Flame itself is Ice-type, not Zero-Point ice. Five others were also called, but because Cloak also has minor amounts of Sun and Thunder Flames, she is a lot more sensitive to them. Basically, she felt the urge to move to America as soon as Togatta/Acer was there.

Any questions? Ask me now, in anon/non-anon reviews or in PMs!

~Panther-chan

P.S: Oh no! Scar tissue in the womb? That can't be good. Find out what happens in The New Recruit III: Cryogenics! And, why do you think she was asleep for nine months? Why not ten or eight?


	11. The End is Just the Beginning

And this is the end of The New Recruit II: Waking Up. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any questions, ask away! I'm in the middle of writing the third installment, TNRIII: Cryogenics, and I need to know about things that need to be cleared up! I love answering questions, so PM me or review and ask me anything!

I'm also not sure whether or not I'm going to include a preview to TNRIII, but I probably will... just to tease you.

~Panther-chan

* * *

When I woke up, feeling refreshed, I stretched my arms carefully and looked around to see everyone exactly as they had fallen asleep. Only the Prince was awake, reading, and as I spoke he looked up, smiling.

"Morning, Bel."

"Good morning, Queen. How do you feel?"

"Rested and refreshed. Overall, I feel great."

"Good, good. Is the Queen hungry?"

I thought for a moment. When was the last time I had actually eaten solid foods before last night?

"Yes. I am. Would you mind getting food?"

"Only the best for the Queen!" he whispered back, standing and leaving towards the kitchen. I sighed, and started slightly as Xanxus moved to sit up straighter, arms still around my waist.

"Good morning." he whispered huskily into my ear, making me shiver. I leaned into him, relaxing completely.

"Morning to you too." I replied, smiling up at him.

He reached down slightly to kiss my neck, tickling it as his breath ghosted against my skin. I smiled, cupping his cheek over my shoulder as Belphegor reentered the room with a tray laden down with enough food to feed an army.

"Are there sausages?" I asked, lifting a cover off one of the trays.

"And bacon."

I smiled in appreciation of the bounty, and took the plate the Prince prepared for me, eating it with relish.

"It's so good!" I smiled, making Xanxus chuckle. He remained quiet throughout the impromptu breakfast, simply holding me as tightly as he could without hurting me.

When we were all done Squalo shouted for a servant.

"VOI! Trash! Come clean up!"

I sighed and shook my head at his antics. _They never change._ I thought to myself as Belphegor tried to use the peons for target practice.

"So, what's on the schedule for today?" I questioned.

"The Prince has a mission!"

"I'm going with him." Mammon pointed to the blond, then jumped over to sit on his shoulder.

"Voi! I've got new recruits to train!"

"Today's a day of relaxation for me!" Lussuria added.

"I am supervising the assassination of an enemy Mafioso." Levi concluded the activity report just before leaving the room, and Squalo shouted for someone to come bring him his sword. As I watched the shark, Belphegor and Mammon slipped away and soon it was just me and Xanxus, still on the couch.

"Are you okay?" I asked, looking up at him over my shoulder.

"I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about."

"Hey. When I woke up, why wasn't I breathing?"

"You weren't breathing the whole goddamn time you were asleep. Made the doctors fucking panic when your heart kept going, but not your lungs."

"I guess I didn't need to, then…"

"That's what Cloak said while your Flame was readjusting, yeah."

I sighed. "Well… I'm just happy to be home."

His arms tightened around me, to the point where they would've hurt me before my Flame revealed itself, but instead of pain, there was more warmth radiating off him. I sighed, comfortable enough to never want to move, and his hand shifted to gently rub up and down on my arm as he whispered to me everything that had transpired while I was asleep.

* * *

Without noticing, I had fallen asleep on the couch once again. Xanxus had transported me to his room, however, so when I awoke it was amongst my favorite crimson sheets and creamy pillows. I smiled at the look he gave me when I wiggled around in pure glee at the softness, then laughed as he sighed and shook his head at me.

"What? I'm allowed to be immature sometimes!"

"I can't believe you're the same person I met so long ago…" he rubbed the bridge of his nose and I smiled happily.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You weren't exactly… _happy_ back then."

"And I am now, I suppose?"

"Yes."

"No shit. I got you!"

I leaped out of bed and sat on his lap, smiling. "It had better have been you that put me in this nightgown."

"You think I'd let some motherfucking scum touch you?" he snarled, baring his teeth. I chuckled at the reaction, and cupped his cheek, giving him a kiss to calm him down. He relaxed almost instantly and wrapped his warm, strong arms around me once more.

Even when I tried to pull away, he didn't release me, instead, growling against my lips, making my spine tingle. I shifted so I could speak without having him kiss me again, and huffed.

"Oh, fine. It's been nine months for you, I suppose."

He growled again, picking me up bodily and almost throwing me onto the soft bed before joining me, pressing me against the mattress and claiming my bruised lips again.

* * *

Weeks later, he still would not let me go. I smiled at the caring showed by the little acts of kindness, like making sure I was comfortable, bringing me things I needed instead of letting me get up to retrieve them, and most of all, always being in physical contact. Even if it was just a hand on my arm or whether I was sitting on his lap again, he wouldn't be… _not_ touching me. It was as though he was afraid I'd disappear if he let go.

My recovery was swift, and soon I was in perfect health. Medical experts were still stymied by my Flame, not knowing what caused it because of the Omerta invoked to keep it a secret amongst the few people that knew. It made me smile every time: it was so funny to see their confusion at the cold, and their confusion at each other's confusion. It made Belphegor laugh too.

Today was the day I returned to the school. The Ninth had had my records forged to show that I had indeed completed the courses necessary, and then promptly had multiple tutors shove the knowledge into my brain. Xanxus had decided to come with me to America, and Jacki had made her Family come to an agreement with Vongola because of my "courageous act to save the life of a friend".

On the plane ride to America, we ended up going over missions that were based in the US and Canada. Mexico wasn't even on the list for us, since Levi and Lussuria had already finished what needed to be done. As for Canada, I managed to wring a promise out of Xanxus: we'd go cross-country skiing, even though he hated cold weather with a passion. Belphegor said he might go with us, but before I could bribe him into a promise, the pilot told us over the intercom that we were landing.

The moment we stepped off _Apollo_ and onto the runway, cameras were pointed at me, people started screaming questions, and Xanxus snarled in annoyance.

"I would appreciate it if you would all move aside and let me through."

Immediately, every person in front of me was silent, staring at me and Xanxus as we walked calmly through the crowd of cameramen and reporters. When we reached the end, I turned, smiled calmly, and thanked them, walking to the car in a slow, self-assured pace that I knew I had the right to use. I held some kind of unfathomable power in my flesh and blood, and I would not get hurt again.

* * *

As soon as I got back to the school gates, I could see the difference my aura made with different kinds of people. Peppy people became more excited, the darker ones stared at me with wide eyes, most likely in shock, and the teachers, usually figures of authority, stepped back to let me through without a word at my confident smirk.

"Hey Cloak."

I lifted a hand in greeting when I spotted the Australian, and she smiled back, joining me on my way to the main office.

"You gonna follow the same courses?"

"Yeah, probably. They were going pretty well, but if I decide to change…"

"It wouldn't take you long to catch up. Right?"

"I'm not _that_ arrogant."

"No, but _I_ am."

"What? That doesn't even make sense!"

"It does! I'm confident in my friend!"

"But your _friend's_ not."

My retort ended the conversation, and Cloak simply sighed at my attitude. She walked away at the bell, leaving me to face the registration process on my own.

* * *

When I joined her in our second shared class of the day, she glanced up and waved me over. I smirked and sat down beside her, ignoring the stares my ring was receiving.

"Not gonna take it off?" she murmured.

"No way in hell." I bowed my head slightly to answer, smiling when the teacher glanced our way.

"Ah! Miss Superbi. Good to have you back. I assume you've done your homework and caught up?"

"Of course, sir."

"Excellent. You can do an evaluation to make sure after classes are over."

I grinned. "That's fine with me, professor."

I paid close attention to the people surrounding me, trying to sense Flames like Iemitsu had shown me. I couldn't see all of them, and others I could just barely noticed, but they were there, and they were bright. Cloak's was multicolored, red being the foremost and the yellow Sun Flames almost dormant.

I sighed, shutting my eyes gently and remembering all that had happened. The thing that stood out most was the… baby. I still had trouble imagining it. There was a three-week baby still growing in my stomach (well, close to it), then it was shot and my uterus was destroyed, effectively rendering me infertile. Then a strong dose of Sun Flame was shoved into my ribcage by Lussuria at random, surprising me and everyone around. We still don't know why – or how – he did it. The scar was still there, faded and looking years older than it was, but… Shamal had told me that my insides were perfect. Again.

I opened my eyes, smiling, and turned to Cloak.

"Remind me to thanks my family when I get home."

"Vongola or Varia?"

I smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Family is family, Cloak. No matter what Mafia they belong to."

* * *

Annnnnnnd that's the end of that! Again, hope you enjoyed it, and ask me whatever questions are bouncing around your brain! I gotta go update my other thing... Ask Komui. Lol. Been too long.

Anyway, I've decided to include a preview for The New Recruit III: Cryogenics. Fun!

~Panther-chan


	12. Prologue: Take One

Just some scenes from TNRIII: Cryogenics to tease you…

~Panther-chan

* * *

I swallowed dryly, clenching Xanxus' hand tightly. He turned his head to look at me, saw my paled face, and sighed, wrapping his arms around me for a quick hug.

"Relax, girl."

"How can I?" I murmured. "I lied to the Ninth, no matter how I look at it, and I've brought danger to the Family."

"Hello, Acer speaking."

"Yo. It's Cloak."

"What's up?"

"Seems that kid, Laurelin, told her pappy what went down."

"Really."

"Yeah. She swore she wouldn't, but seems he forced it outta her somehow."

"And?"

"We've got Whistell threatening Cavallone, and the Ninth asking me for my opinion on your idea of a… second Varia?"

"Right, about that: I need to speak with you and your sister. Also, Jacki will be coming with her younger sister, as well."

"… Well… since it's you, fine."

I smiled, feeling happy. "Thanks, Cassandra."

"Hey! It's Cloak!"

"Hey! Do you know who I am?"

Acer's eyes flashed at my boss and I fell backwards, my legs seemingly unable to support me. "Cannos the Sixth, age 42, Aquarius. Scar on the back of your neck from a traitor two years ago. Two daughters, one son: 16, 12, and 7. Wife is Marcela, maiden name is Gainsborough. She is of British decent, from a long line of knights favored by the queen. Short temper, known for your love of theater, expensive wines and cigars. You own several major hotel chains and have your hands mostly in gambling dens across the globe. Your right hand's name is Benevuto Ugo: Mafioso rating is 8.5, favored weapon is the M-62 Assault Rifle. No known blood relations, nickname is La Volpe, after historical nameless crime figure La Volpe."

[…]

As soon as they were out of earshot, my Boss grabbed my arm, almost breaking it. "Did you hear what she said, Benevuto?"

"Yes, Sir."

"How?"

"I don't doubt she knows everything there is to know about every single person in this room, sir."

"HOW?"

"No doubt, Sir. She's Varia, as the rumors say."

"Ah, the Tenth? Well, I'm good friends with his Father. We've done many assignments together. Plus, I kinda consider all of you guys as little brothers." I chuckled somewhat sheepishly, my original easy-going personality leaking through. It was true, though. I thought of all the Tenth Generation Guardians as little brothers. Plus, being around them seemed to bring out the old Togatta, but at the same time allowed the persona I named Acer to mother them.

"Oh! That's EXTREME!"

He punched the air and I laughed, greeting Sunny. "Hey. What's up?"

She grinned, giving me a one-armed hug. "Not much, here. But, I noticed."

"What?"

"You gather people. Strong ones."

"Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I am known as many things. Ice Queen, Togatta Yoshime, Acer Superbi, and Sheer Cold are some of them."

At the mention of my underground fighting ring name, the speaker blanched and sat down. Seems he recognized me.

I stood up and walked to the podium, smiled sweetly, and simply stated, "I am Togatta Yoshime."

"Hey… what should I call you now?" Cloak asked as we pulled out onto the highway.

"Eh, go with Frost. The Cloud for my team named me that."

"Who is it?"

"Her nickname is Ritz. She's Jacki's step-sister, Alexandra Sheller."

"I see… Is she a brat?"

"Only if you don't know how to deal with her."

Cloak sighed, brushing her bangs back. I noticed it, and asked, "Hey, you never told me why you cover one of your eyes."

She glanced at me, then back to the windshield, pressing the button to put up the screen between driver and passenger. "It's not very pretty."

"Nose was itchy," I explained.

"So you woke me up."

"Better than sneezing in your face."

Xanxus made a face, burying his head into the crook of my neck and making me squirm. He mumbled into my shoulder, the sound muffled even more by the pillow.

"Sorry, couldn't hear you."

"I love you!" he repeated, the words still muffled by my neck. I laughed, and shifted to wrap my arms around his shoulders. [...]I smiled, then glanced at his hair. I fingered a few strands, then ran my fingers through the silky black locks.

"I think you should grow your hair out."

"… Why."

"I dunno. I think it'd be nice."

"… Fine."

The pain subsided into a dull roar as I watched the Storm Flame flare up, almost consuming the entire door. It evened out as a Sun and Thunder were added into the mix, and as each Flame was added I managed to stand up. Barely making it through the door and into the inner chamber, I saw the ice slowly thawing, wave by wave. A dry heat radiated from the center, and the chunk of frozen Flame was slowly flickering to life.

"Shit. This isn't good."

I took a few steps forward, trying to reach for it, but a jarring sensation stopped me in my tracks and I felt myself slipping away.

"No, wait! No!"

"I'm calling the others. Wait!"

Togatta was staring at me intently, some kind of sense coming back to her eyes. "Rain," she whispered, pupils dilated. "Rain."

"**By accepting Guardians of the seven Sky Flames, you begin to grow warmer. A Sky – the leader – must be cold to the world, but warm with her Family. You are creating an environment where you feel secure enough to be warm."**

"Hey, Cloak."

"Yeah, Sunny?"

"Where's that guy, Xanxus?"

"He's still in Italy."

"… Do you think he's calmed down yet?"

"No."

"Okay. We'll stay here, then."

"Yeah."

* * *

Welp, hope you're now eager to read the third installment! It's not done yet, but I'm hoping to finish it within a couple of months or so. We'll see, I guess. Anyway, time to eat!

~Panther-chan

P.S.: Remember, if you have ANY questions, now's the time to ask!

P.P.S.: Poptart?


End file.
